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From the Presidentmake the world a better place by reaching out to othersis something that is cultivated at the very earliest stagesof life. The challenge we have as educators is to harnessthat desire, encourage grand ideas and provide the toolsfor empowering others through service. Let’s find ways tofan the flames of passion for service, not extinguishthem.

It’s Spring Break at Ripon College, and many of ourstudents and faculty are using the time to rest, catch

up and regroup for the last push toward graduation. Asignificant number of students and faculty have chosento commit their time to an “alternative spring break,”whereby they participate in a significant communityservice activity. Some may be building homes in ruralSouth Carolina for Habitat for Humanity, while othersmay be in Jamaica working to build a sustainable economic model for a mountain community with severepoverty. The stories are numerous, the impact is significant and the learning is life-changing.

Service has long been a part of the Ripon Collegeculture, due in no small part to our symbiotic relationship with the community. A great many of ourstudents, faculty and staff achieve personal satisfactionthrough service to others. By combining an excellentliberal education with a culture of service, we’ve set thestage for continued stewardship of our community andthe world at large. As long as social ills exist, so, too,will opportunities to serve.

Each year, the Ripon College commencement ceremony is planned around a theme. The 2010Commencement theme is “Lives of Service,” and thehonorary degree recipients who have been selected areindividuals who have devoted both their professionaland personal lives to serving others.

Iinvite you to join us Sunday, May 16, to recognizeand celebrate the graduation of more than 200 of our

seniors. Together, we can help usher them into theirnext chapter of “lives of productive, socially responsiblecitizenship.” The Ripon College community shares in itsconfidence that the world we hand these ambitious graduates will, indeed, be a better place because of their efforts.

Preparing Students for Socially Responsible Citizenship

Ripon College’s mission statement is succinct, straightforward and only two sentences long:

Ripon College prepares students of diverseinterests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Our liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create anintimate learning community in which studentsexperience a richly personalized education.

As a mission-driven (as opposed to a market-driven)organization, we consider this statement of purpose whenever we make policy or strategic decisions. It literallydrives the College and provides the focus of both ourintent and our execution of initiatives. As with any organization, the leadership of Ripon College must know,believe and commit to this mission. And we do.

One of the distinctive components of our mission is thecommitment to preparing students for “socially responsible

citizenship.” It is a lofty and commendable goal, but thedesire and the execution of thatgoal often can be difficult todefine, educate and assess. Wehave chosen, with good reason,to emphasize civic engagementand community service as critical elements of this commit-ment to prepare students for citizenship. Not only do weteach students about service andthe civitas, we also providenumerous opportunities for themto participate in the endeavor.Our approach is unique in thatwe do more than count hours of

service. We expect our students to reflect upon their service experiences and to use them as tools when seekingthe way to make a difference in both the local and theglobal communities.

Service organizations offer a means by which an earnestdesire to help others can be applied. They emphasize thedevelopment process — how individuals learn from merely“doing good” to becoming “agents of good” for the benefitof others. Hopefully, our students learn that who you are ismore important than what you do. The lesson is powerfulenough that it begs to be passed along. Empowering othersto fulfill their own potential creates the same desire inthem, and so on.

When our daughter, Anna, was a little girl, Lynne and Ibought her a dollhouse. Rather than treat it as a palace fora princess or a mansion in which her characters could playout their lives, Anna came to view it as a place for peopleto go who didn’t have a home. I believe that the desire to

President David C. Joyce

Dr. David C. JoycePresidentjoyced@ripon.edu

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A LIFE IN THE STATE DEPARTMENTFrom Poland to Omran, Crotia, England, Denmark andUkraine, Robert Needham ’86 has found that his roots ina liberal arts education have prepared him well for a life inthe foreign service.

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AFTER 40 YEARS IN RIPONCLASSROOMS AND ADMINISTRATION,BILL SCHANG BIDS FAREWELLWhen English Professor Bill Schang announced his suddenretirement in February because of medical reasons, colleagues and students past and present reacted with over-whelming fondness and gratitude for all he has brought toRipon over the past four decades. A Bill Schang Fan Clubsite on Facebook swiftly brought scores of affectionatepostings. Here, many share their personal thoughts andmemories of a beloved and influential professor.

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SPRING 2010 . VOLUME 43, NUMBER 1

TAUS CELEBRATE A CENTURYOF CAMARADERIE ON RIPON CAMPUSFor 100 years, members of the Theta Sigma Tau fraternityhave made a family with each other at Ripon and beyondas they moved out into the world. Now, as they plan aspring and summer of special celebration activities, Taumembers past and present take a look back at what makesthe fraternity unique, and why the members still likehanging out together.

These Days at Ripon 7

Sports 14

Alumni 19

Class Notes 22

Last Word 31

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Ripon Magazine (ISSN 1058-1855) is published quarterly by Ripon College, 300 Seward St., Ripon, WI 54971-0248. Periodical postage paid at Ripon, Wis.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Ripon Magazine, PO Box 248, Ripon, WI54971-0248.Editor: Jaye Aldersone-mail: AldersonJ@ripon.eduEditorial Assistants: Ric Damm, CodyPinkstonStudent Assistants: George Infantado ’10,Katie Mead ’11, Alyssa Paulsen ’10, ErinSchaick ’12.Layout design by the graphics factory –Deba Horn-Prochno ’74Print Production by Ripon Printers Ripon on the Web: www.ripon.eduVisit Ripon’s online community at:www.riponalumni.org

Ripon College prepares students of diverseinterests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Our liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create anintimate learning community in which studentsexperience a richly personalized education.

On the Cover:Actors in the theatre department’s produc-tion of Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice,” a contem-porary reimagining of the Orpheus myth,stand around the “tunnel of love.” The production concept for the Ripon produc-tion, presented March 3 through 6, wasbased on a Coney Island-type atmosphere,complete with beach sand, a short waterwayand a small boat on stage. Pictured are: attop, Paul Steffens ’10 as Orpheus; middlerow, from left, Jessie Lillis ’13 as the LoudStone, Elizabeth Weigler ’10 as the BigStone, Cady Cummings ’10 as Eurydice,Jeff M. Davis ’10 as the Lord of the Under-world and Ross Heintzkill ’10 as Eurydice’sFather; and, seated, Megan Richards ’10 asthe Small Stone. Jim Koepnick photo

“Our members consider Tau their family away fromhome,” says current Tau president, Talley Yake ’10 ofMuskego, Wis. “I believe that people are able to find accep-tance and friends that last a lifetime when they come toTau. Tau is an environment where members can feel free tojust be themselves. It is a group that can help membersbreak out of their shells and grow in confidence.”

“Tau, for me, is a large family that I know I can dependon when I need to,” says Rachel Tennyson ’11 of Ripon,Wis., Tau historian. “If I had a bad day, I know I can getenough hugs to choke a horse as support, love and shouldersto cry on. If I didn’t have Tau, I’m not sure where I wouldbe. I wouldn’t give Tau up for anything in the world.”

Theta Sigma Tau is accepting of all people on campus.The organization supports everyone regardless of their

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“We, the members of Theta Sigma Tau, recognize the differences that set us apartfrom each other; and come together as afraternal organization dedicated to the

unity of disunity. We pledge to support our fellow housemembers in their beliefs and convictions; and in the eventthose convictions conflict with our own, we pledge torespect our individual differences and to support thosehouse decisions passed without absolute unanimity. This isthe Creed of Theta Sigma Tau.”

For 100 years, the members of Theta Sigma Tau havebeen thriving at Ripon College. Founded in 1910, the organization has been through many changes and has seenmany faces, but one thing has remained the same: Themembers of Theta Sigma Tau are a family.

Earlier Tau members proudly show off Theta Sigma Tau letters on Mapes Hall.

Proud Taus Celebrate 100 Years at Ripon College

SPRING 2010 3

beliefs and acts as a home for those students who may feelout of place at college.

“I never planned on joining any Greek group when Icame to Ripon College,” Yake says. “I was painfully shy andactually only went to a Tau preference party because one ofmy friends dragged me along. The people were so friendly,and I instantly felt at ease with the group. I feel as if theperson I am today is not the same person I would havebeen if I had not joined Tau.”

“For me, being a Tau is to be part of a group and family,”says Tennyson. “To function as a member of the house, todo my duties, as well as to actively participate in our philanthropy. I think it is also part of being a Tau to bethere not only for those in the house but those who areoutside who possibly need that extra hand.”

Throughout the years, Theta Sigma Tau also hasfocused on giving back to society. In the past, their philanthropic efforts have gone to benefit the Big BrothersBig Sisters program, Boys and Girls Club of America andNational Arbor Day Foundation. Currently, the group ishelping the American Diabetes Association.

To celebrate its 100th birthday, Theta Sigma Tau will beparticipating in a number of events.

“It is a benchmark of our organization that we are proudto have achieved,” Yake says. “It takes the cooperation of

each and every member to keep a Greek group functioningand continuing on throughout the years. This gives us anopportunity to celebrate how far we have come.”

Even after 100 years, Theta Sigma Tau is looking to thefuture.

“We are constantly trying to get involved with the campus through Fireside Chats and with our fund-raisingactivities for the American Diabetes Association,” Yakesays. “Within Tau, we are putting forth an effort to havemore social events to give the members a chance to spendmore time together as a house. Also, we have started aneducation committee within the house to make Tau an outlet our members can use for academic improvement.”

Love of Tau is just as vibrant for its alumni. Pete Lenz

From an early Theta SigmaTau group in 1912 … tothe first coed group in1980 … to the currentmembers of the fraternity,Tau members haveremained close to eachother for the century of its existence on the RiponCollege campus.

The CelebrationThroughout the remainder of the spring semester, Tuesdays willbe renamed Tausdays. On these days, Tau members and alumniwill wear Tau shirts and other Tau gear to show house spiritwherever they are.

Sunday, May 2, the Taus will provide birthday cake anddecorations at Pickard Commons so all students can share intheir celebrations.

During the summer, Theta Sigma Tau will continue the centennial celebrations. On the weekend of June 25, the groupwill host a reunion during Alumni Weekend on the Ripon College campus. With more than 500 living alumni, the grouphopes for a large turnout .

The weekend will be topped off with the Centennial ReunionDinner Sunday, June 27. Current members and alumni ofTheta Sigma Tau, the Zeta Tau chapter of Sigma Nu, socialmembers, honorary members and associate members are invitedto attend the dinner at La Sure’s of Oshkosh. For more information, visit www.thetasigmatau.org or e-mail Pete Lenzat plenz@thetasigmatau.org.

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’89 of Fredonia, Wis., maintains a Web site at thetasigmatau.org and is helping to coordinate the reunion.

“Some of my best memories from Ripon College werewith the fraternity,” he says. “Some of the best friends I’vemade were there. When you live together, you get close toeach other. The Web site is helping people get in contactor keep in contact. I enjoy keeping everyone in touch.”

He says he returns to campus twice a year as a memberof the Alumni Board of Directors.

“I get to meet the people who are in the fraternity now,”he says. “I think it really does seem like a family. These people have nothing in common with me, but they welcome

me in and are happy to see me and listen to my old stories.”And he has some interesting, tongue-in-cheek stories.

Lenz says that when he was a first year student at Ripon, afellow student in North Scott suggested that they go checkout Tau. He told Lenz, “They play Dungeons and Dragons,so they’re a cool bunch of geeks.”

“The first time I went down to the house, I just felt athome,” Lenz says. “It just felt like this is the place I shouldbe.”

Because there were two “Petes” in the house, he wasknown as Plenz — for Pete Lenz.

“We’d go off and do goofy stuff. Since we were at a college in the middle of cow country, one of the things youhad to do at Ripon College was go cow-tipping. But nocows were injured, and no people were injured, either!”

He also recalls power occasionally going out in thehouse, and as the heat started to fade everyone would troopdown to the fireplace and have a big slumber party.

“It was a nice time,” he says. “What makes it really special was the people. On the whole, it’s more like a family than your real family, at times.”

He says many Taus have met as part of the fraternity andmarried over the years — including himself and his wife,Viola Martin Lenz ’02, whom he met on trips back to campus.

In 1995, on his first visit after his graduation, Lenzintroduced himself to the current members, and they excitedly says, “You were here when all the famous peoplewere here — like Plenz!”

“I’d introduced myself as Pete,” he says. “They didn’trealize. ‘You’ve got to tell us all about them,’ they said. Itold them, ‘I can tell them all about these guys, but I’d liketo hear what you’ve heard first.’ I learned from them that Ihad a really good time in college, and I don’t remember anyof it! From what they said, I had a blast. Then in walkedsomebody who was a student there when I was there. Heyelled, ‘Plenz!’

“He blew my cover. I was famous to them, and I’m notanything like that. They get to know the real me instead ofall the stories they’ve heard. Now that I’m a college profes-sor (at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and KaplanUniversity online), I have to be respectable, right?”

Patricia Beck ’98 of Pittsburg, Kan., also a Tau, saysTheta Sigma Tau “provides a place for those of us who are alittle different — the nerds, the geeks, the gamers, the people who like loud music. And in college, they had thebest parties. Our Halloween party was always the highlightof the year for me. Creative costumes. Good fun. ‘TheRocky Horror Picture Show’ played at midnight.”

She also married a Tau — George Harrison Johnson III’00.

“Aside from the fact that I had a good time as a memberof the House and I still enjoy visiting it and meeting thenew people there,” Lenz says, “the real reason that it’simportant to me is that I met many of my closest and dearest friends there, people who are as family to me.Through the years, I’ve stayed in touch with many of themand have made many more friends as the membership haschanged over time.” r

Katie Mead and Jaye AldersonMead is a junior communication major from Mauston, Wis.

The HistoryOn May 2, 1910, the members of the Elms Club eating house officiallyfounded the Theta Sigma Tau fraternity of Ripon College. The fraternity organized and set certain ideals and principles for membership. The group thrived despite the College’s ban on fraternities.

During World War I, the organization was left with two activemembers and decided to temporarily disband. After the war, the men ofTheta Sigma Tau started the organization again and moved to the Sanford House, located on the present site of the Merriman House. In1939, the organization moved again to Evans Hall in the “Tri-dorms”building after the Sanford House was condemned and demolished. During World War II, the group disbanded.

The group again was revitalized after the men returned from war.In 1958, Theta Sigma Tau moved again to the place that they now callhome — Mapes Hall. During the mid-1950s, the men of Theta SigmaTau began the process of becoming affiliated with a national fraternity.In the fall of 1955, the house became the Zeta Tau chapter of SigmaNu. It was during this time that Ripon alumnus Harrison Ford ’64 wasa member.

By the mid-1970s, the character of the house had changed, andmany members were dissatisfied with the affiliation with Sigma Nu.The group made changes that were not in accordance with the nationalorganization’s mandates. In 1976, Sigma Nu revoked the nationalcharter of Zeta Tau. The original Greek name was reinstated and thegroup was reformed. Theta Sigma Tau retained the best ideals of theSigma Nu’s creed but renounced the symbolism as a distraction fromand barrier to true unity the organization says.

In 1980, the house went coed. The members believed that the richest living experience came from men and women living together asequals. Throughout the decades, Theta Sigma Tau has stayed dedicatedto the principles of dignity, equality, fraternity, liberty and loyalty.

An early home for Theta Sigma Tau was Sanford House, located on the presentsite of Merriman House.

SPRING 2010 5

After 40 years of teaching at Ripon,Professor William J. “Bill” Schanghas retired from the English

department because of medical reasons.Schang’s journey at Ripon began in

the 1969-70 academic year, havingearned his doctorate from the Universityof Michigan. He quickly gained a reputa-tion as an excellent and engagingteacher, earning four May Bumby SeveryAwards for Excellence in Teaching(2000, 1989, 1984, 1975). A longtimestudent favorite, he also won four SeniorClass Awards for teaching (1998, 1986,1985, 1982) and a James UnderkoflerAward for Excellence in UndergraduateTeaching (1993). He was awarded tenureduring the 1976-77 academic year.

“Bill was a great help to me in theearly stages of my tenure at Ripon,” saysPresident David C. Joyce. “He was serving as interim dean until the arrivalof a new president. I asked him to con-tinue on as dean until the transition ofleadership was complete. Heeventually agreed, serving withdistinction until 2006. Consider-ing how much more at home hewas at the front of a classroomthan behind a desk, I have alwaysappreciated his willingness tostep in when the need arose.”

David Graham, professor ofEnglish, recalls his good fortunein being able to follow Schang’sexample.

“Little did I realize, when Iwalked into West Hall as a newassistant professor in 1987, justhow lucky I was to be joiningBill Schang’s department atRipon,” he says. “For 23 years,Bill has been an inspiration. Hehas been my most reliable sourceof wisdom on matters large andsmall, a supportive colleague, aninvaluable mentor and a friend.He never takes himself too seri-ously, and, in fact, his easygoinghumor has smoothed over manya rough patch. But he takes edu-cation very seriously, indeed, andhas always been my best, mostimmediate model of integrity,honesty, fairness and hard work.”

IN THE CLASSROOM

But it is Schang’s interaction with students that is most poignantly recalled.

Michael Timm ’04 of Cudahy, Wis.,says Schang’s teaching ability was a gift,one that was shared freely and widely.

“He wields an uncanny ability tounnerve, challenge and support at thesame time. One moment that sticks out tome in which his experience and instinctcreated an amazing classroom environ-ment was during one ‘Page to Screen’class. Some 20 or 30 of us in that classwere tasked with writing short papers on ashort story I can’t now remember. BillSchang facilitated a macro-classroom discussion on this story by seamlessly eliciting each student’s viewpoints, asexpressed in our papers, and integrated allour comments into the whole in a waythat was marvelously comfortable andconstructive. It wasn’t boring. It wasn’timbalanced toward one viewpoint oranother. He allowed each of our voices to

contribute something to the whole, andyou could see each student light up as wewere able to talk on what uniquenesshe’d boiled out of our papers.

“And I remember thinking as he wentaround from student to student, with justa simple prompt getting us to share withthe group what we’d only shared withhim, ‘Man, this guy is good.’ ”■ Stacy Erickson ’00 of Fort Wayne,Ind., says Schang’s example has influ-enced many members of her family —all now English teachers. Ericksonteaches at Manchester College in NorthManchester, Ind.; her sister, Sara Erickson Baker ’00 at Elgin CommunityCollege in Elgin, Ill.; and her brother-in-law, Alex Baker ’02 at WoodstockHigh School in Woodstock, Ill.“Professor Schang is someone I think abouta lot as I go into my own classroom and as Iinteract with students outside of class. Oneof the best things about Ripon and ProfessorSchang, especially, is that he was always

there to chat — about class assign-ments and about larger life plans andgoings on. Because of him, I’velearned the value of keeping my officedoor open and letting students come in(to talk about a sick grandma, abreak-up, ideas about a paper, plansfor grad school, to eat some of mycandy …). I hope they remember meand my influence as much as weremember Professor Schang in ourown English-teacher family.”

■ Sara Erickson Baker ’00: “Thereare so many wonderful things aboutProfessor Schang as a professor, butthe thing I remember the most is howpositive he was as an instructor. Hewelcomed every comment and opinionand openly encouraged students toshare their thoughts. His classroomwas a welcoming, open environmentwhere every student had an activerole. This is something I try to modelin my own teaching — to create sucha positive and warm classroom community like the one ProfessorSchang fostered in each of his classes.

■ Alex Baker ’02: “I took ‘GrowingUp in America’ with Professor Schang(and Professor Blake) my first year.

Bill Schang Bids Farewell After 40 Years

Bill Schang

Over the next three years, I took six moreclasses with him and decided to become anEnglish teacher, so Professor Schang certainly impacted my life. He was the perfect teacher for Ripon because it’s aschool that is built around the idea of community, and Professor Schang’s greateststrength was his ability to foster a sense ofcommunity in the classroom. His classroomwas a microcosm for what I think RiponCollege should always strive to be.”

■ Brittney Wiggins ’10 of Plymouth,Wis.: “He’s the kind of person that makesyou feel like all your problems, no matterhow large or small, are the most importantthings in the world to him. I would go tohim for any problem, and he asked meevery day about how things were going inmy biology major as well as how I was handling things in English. One of myfavorite memories was the time I went intohis office to work out my schedule, and wewere discussing graduate school. He lookedat me and says, ‘You belong in graduateschool. In fact, you are ready for that nextstep, the next challenge and if you couldhave, you should have been there this year.’That has stuck with me and is still an

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incredible inspiration when I feel like I can’tkeep moving forward. His classes were difficult, but students learned a lot from him.Looking at his Facebook fan page, most paststudents best remember his go-to phrase:‘Questions? Comments? Personal attacks?’and use that phrase in their classes still.”

■ Lauren Kelly ’10 of Plymouth, Wis.:“I’ll never forget the candy bowl, the lecturesoutside on the lawn or the way he made mywriting tighter, better, more focused. How-ever, what I’ll remember most about Profes-sor Schang is his innate ability to genuinelycare about each and every student. No matterhow busy he was, he always took the time tomeet or answer questions, and he’s helped mewith much more in my life than grammar andsentence structure. I admire and appreciatehis kindness, honesty and understanding, andI know many of my peers do, as well. Afterall, I can remember there being questions andcomments, but never any personal attacks!”

WITH HIS COLLEAGUES

“As many have pointed out, his teachingdoes not end when he walks out of theclassroom, nor does he confine his teaching to his students,” Graham says. “Icannot begin to list all the things he’staught me over the years.

“In the classroom and out, Bill treatseveryone equally, and by expecting goodthings from everyone, often receivesmore than people thought they had togive. No one takes more pleasure fromothers’ successes, and no one is lessinclined to boast of his own.

“I am sad that he will no longer bedropping into my office to chat and tell ajoke or two right before our 8 a.m. classes,but I remain forever grateful for the privi-lege of serving with him for the past twodecades. I still can’t believe my luck.”

Professor of English and then Dean ofFaculty Douglas A. Northrop once wroteto Schang on the occasion of receivingan award:“Your work as developer as well as coordi-nator of the writing-across-the-curriculumprogram needs to be considered in termsof its long-term impact on the College,”Northrop wrote. “It is easy to forget, atthis later date, how resistant many facultywere to the initial proposal and how hardyou and a few colleagues worked to ensurethe passage of the proposal and how hardand well you worked to ensure the successof the program. …

“Indeed, the shift from ‘teaching’ to

‘learning’ as the focus of our educationalprogram is at the very center of the writing program and is the most important aspect of your contribution tothe College as coordinator of the writing-across-the-curriculum program.Nothing less than a transformation ofthe faculty or a quiet revolution of theacademic program has occurred.

“The faculty have changed the overall emphasis from teacher-orientededucation to learner-oriented. We havebasically replaced the lecture-examination system with discussion-investigation-exploration-expression.Writing has become an investigative aswell as an expressive technique; we haverefocused on the process of learningwith writing as a process at the core ofthat change. In individual after individual, department after depart-ment, you encouraged them to explorehow they could make the educationalprocess more effective, how by lookingat writing as the process of learning theycould get the students more engaged,more active and, finally, more knowledgeable about the discipline.”

Northrop says Schang succeeded bothas a teacher and as a colleague becauseSchang’s work in classroom and as coordi-nator always practiced what it preached:the process is the important thing.

“I think his skill has been widelyshared across the faculty and across thecurriculum and that Ripon College is amore powerful place because of it,”Northrop says.

“During his four decades at Ripon,Bill has forged deep and abiding friendships, not only with faculty andstaff but with innumerable students,”Joyce says. “He epitomizes our commitment to a richly personalizededucation, and our beloved College isall the more special for his time here.His gentle spirit and appreciation for theteaching/learning endeavor are the hallmarks of a great educator. Bill willbe missed in the classroom.

“However, Bill and his wife, Louise,are fixtures, even icons, on this campusand in this community. I expect to seethem as much now as we did back then.This is their home, and it always will be.”

Timm says the best way to honorSchang would to “to write early andoften, to continue to push ourselves to bebetter, and to share what we learn.” r

A Bill Schang Fan Club group has beencreated on Facebook on which dozens ofpostings state admiration and affection forBill and what he has brought to Ripon College. Former and current students, colleagues and friends of Bill relate favoriteanecdotes, quotations by Bill, photos andwords of tribute.

The fan club can be accessed atwww.facebook.com/group.php?gid=316559990677&ref=mf

Monetary gifts in honor of Bill Schangcan be made to the Schang Family VisitingWriters’ Fund. They may be directed to theOffice of Advancement, noting the restriction in honor of Schang.

The endowed fund is used to bring avariety of writers to Ripon College to sharetheir experiences, observations, talent andenthusiasm with Ripon students. It wasestablished by Schang’s sister, Marilyn AnnVaras, in honor of their parents, Jacob andHelen Schang; and in recognition of theimportance of Ripon College in the careersher brother; her sister, Barbara SchangZielinski ’77; her sister-in-law, LouiseSchang, former College librarian andarchivist; and her nephew, Jeffrey Schang,former systems/network manager in thecomputer center.

These Days at Riponthese days at ripon

ALUMNUS HELPS COORDINATE RELIEF FUNDS IN HAITIBenjamin Futransky ’99 of Oak Park, Ill., recently returned from earthquake-ravaged Haiti as part of his work for Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF).As assistant manager in the Humanitarian Programs Department, Futransky has visited disaster areas before, but this time was much sooner after the actual event.

“Haiti was pretty crazy,” he says. “The situation is definitely on the intense side.There are lots of displaced people, buildings destroyed, a chaotic atmosphere. Itgives a unique perspective. A less-developed country is not new to me. Workingand living in less-developed countries, you develop a sort of immunity to poverty.But to see a lot of displaced people like that is something I’d never seen before.”

LCIF has raised $2.2 million in donations to support short-term and long-termrelief efforts in Haiti. It’s part of Futransky’s job responsibilities to assess the situa-tion in a disaster area, and coordinate the use of funds and approval of projects be-tween the local Lions Club members, the chairman and board of trustees for LCIF.

Currently, LCIF is funding three tent camps serving about 3,000 people and operated by the Haitian Lions Club. This is serving short-term, immediate needs.Long-term, Futransky says, the focus will be on rebuilding homes, public facilitiessuch as schools, medical clinics and hospitals, and preservation of eyesight.

He says LCIF will be active “not only in rebuilding but, in fact, strengtheningand making this whole system stronger than it was before the earthquake.”

Futransky has helped LCIF in other disaster areas. He oversaw and coordinatedthe use of $10 million in donations for tsunami reconstruction funds in Sri Lankaand India, and will return to that area in a few months for another progress checkon projects.

“This work is not new for LCIF,” he says. “We’ve done it before, unfortunately.It’s not always so much to achieve something but to show we’re players and showour work and have the possibility of future collaborations and partnerships.

“These sorts of major catastrophe projects are part of my job. There are opportu-nities to have some really great experiences in addition to doing a lot of good.”

BriefsBRIEFSRIPON CITEDIN ARTICLE ABOUTFIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS

The Feb. 14, 2010, issue of the Chroni-cle of Higher Education featured “Wal-Mart’s $10-Million Diplomas,” an articleabout Wal-Mart’s grants to colleges to helpfirst-generation students graduate.

Campuses with Wal-Mart grants arepursuing a variety of strategies to helpmore students graduate.

The article read, “The small privatecolleges are largely focused on improvingretention through student services, and theminority-serving institutions, through academics.

“Ripon College, in Wisconsin, for example, is concentrating on career preparation. It has placed first-generationstudents in shadowing positions — an anthropology major in a museum, a psychology major in a school counselingoffice — and paid them.”

Benjamin Futransky ’99 visits some of the Haitian children living in a tent camp operated by theHaitian Lions Club.

RESIDENCE LIFE EARNS ACCOLADESThe residence life department was rewarded for its efforts at the annual Wisconsin

COLUCCI STARTING TWO-VOLUME BOOK CONTRACT

Lamont Colucci, assistant professor ofpolitics and government and national security studies coordinator, has signed abook contract with Praeger for a two-vol-ume set titled The National SecurityDoctrines of the American Presidency:

How They Shapeour Present and Future. The contractcame after Coluccigave a paper presenta-tion, “The Bush Doctrine: Changes inAmerican ForeignPolicy, InternationalRelations and International Security” at ISSS/

ISAC-APSA (International SecurityStudies Section/International Security andArms Control Section-American PoliticalScience Association) in Monterey, Calif.

Lamont Colucci

SPRING 2010 7

WAYNE WEBSTER IS NEWVICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENTWayne Webster is Ripon’s new vice president of advancement. Webster comes to

Ripon from Gettysburg, Pa., where he worked in major giftssince 2006 at Gettysburg College. His work there led to morethan $5 million in restricted gifts. Prior to that, he worked inadvancement at Doane College in Crete, Neb., for four years.

Webster earned his master’s degree in management at DoaneCollege and is working on his doctor of education from GeorgeWashington University.

“As the College continually examines its priorities throughthe lens of the strategic plan and pursues our vision, the role ofAdvancement comes sharply into focus,” President David Joycesays. “To marshal the resources we need to gain a competitiveadvantage in the marketplace will require an unprecedented effort, and I believe Wayne has the right combination of devel-

opment savvy, earnestness and charisma to be a catalyst for this effort.”

Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) residence life conference. Ripon won numerous awards and took third place in the roll call competition, an event where schools are judged on creativity and school spirit incoming up with a skit to introduce themselves to all other present delegations.Ripon received a plaque for this honor.

Joyce Ngabire ’10 of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, took second place in a CaseStudy Competition in the New Resident Assistant Division. Hall Directors MarcusNeeld and Ryan Dwyer took third place in the Professional Staff Program Presentation category.

Jessica Joanis, assistant director of residence life, took first place for her Professional Staff Program Presentation. “The WAICU Residence Life conferencesare always fun, for students and professional staff,” she says. The program that I presented that won first place was called ‘A Few Good Books.’ It was a program designed for professionals in the field to talk about the books that are out there toread about common issues facing college students today. I shared a list of 20 titlesthat we have read here in residence life and have used as professional staff development or as part of resident assistant training.”

Of Ripon’s successful showing, Joanis says, “I am proud of the Ripon RAs andprofessional staff members that represented us so well at the conference!”

BriefsBRIEFS

POETS VISIT RIPONAutumn in Ripon brought an abundance of falling leaves and amusing poetry. BrentGoodman ’93 of Rhinelander, Wis., gave a poetry reading and book signing Nov.18. His work, Trees are the Slowest Rivers, won the 1998 Sarasota Poetry Theatre national poetry competition, and Wrong Horoscope won the Frank O’Hara Chap-book Competition for 1999.

Born in Milwaukee, Goodman earned his bachelor’s degree in English fromRipon in 1993 and his master’s degree in creative writing from Purdue University in1995. He has worked as a copywriter, editor, free-lance writer and a teacher. He isan assistant editor at Anti-Poetry.com.

Marilyn L. Taylor, Wisconsin Poet Laureate, gave a reading from her newestbook, Going Wrong, Oct. 28.

She lives in Milwaukee, where for many years she was an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, her alma mater, teaching forthe department of English.

Governor James Doyle appointed Taylor Poet Laureate of Wisconsin in

Wayne Webster

STUDENT PRESENTS PAPER INSPANISH AT CONFERENCE

Senior Lucía Castro of Wichita Falls,Texas, a biology major and Spanish minor,

presented a paper inSpanish at theStreamlines Under-graduate Conferencefor the Humanities atLoras College inDubuque, Iowa,Nov. 14.

Kristen Swoboda’10 of Hartland,Wis., and Timothy P.

Reed, assistant professor of Spanish, accompanied her to the conference.

“Lucía represented the College verywell,” Reed says.

Lucía Castro ’10

RED HAWKS RAISE MONEY FORBREAST CANCER RESEARCH

The Ripon basketball team’s FebruaryPink Zone event to raise money andawareness for breast cancer was a success,raising a total of $325. All proceeds willgo to the Kay Yow/Women’s BasketballCoaches Association Cancer Fund to benefit cancer research.

“The Ripon College athletic department was delighted to contribute tosuch a worthwhile cause, and I hope wecan have even more people be a part ofthis initiative again next season,” RiponCollege Athletic Director Bob Gillespiesays.

The Kay Yow Foundation is named inhonor of former North Carolina StateUniversity Head Women’s BasketballCoach Kay Yow, who in 2009 lost herbattle with breast cancer. The WBCAPink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort for the WBCA’s nation of coaches toassist in raising breast cancer awarenesson the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. To date, thetotal amount of 2010 WBCA Pink Zonedonations has reached $402,558.26, withmore than 1,700 schools and organizations participating.

8 RIPON MAGAZINE

November 2008 after a highly competitive process. Previously, she served a two-yearterm as Poet Laureate of the city of Milwaukee. She has a plethora of experience asan author, with eight collections, leader of poetry workshops and a visiting poetacross the state. She is a contributing editor for The Writer magazine, where her articles on poetic craft appear bi-monthly.

TODD AND BETTY BERENS HONOREDWITH 2010 FOUNDERS’ DAY AWARDRipon residents Todd and Betty Berens received the 2010 Founders’ Day Award in aspecial ceremony Jan. 26. The couple exemplify the time-honored values of RiponCollege’s founders: a strong sense of community, relentless optimism for the futureand a deep respect for the value of education, according to President David C.Joyce.

As with virtually all past recipients of this award, they are so involved in somany aspects of community life that they seem omnipresent. Between the two ofthem they are or have been involved in the Ripon Historical Society, Friends ofLane Library, Friends of the Arts, Wisconsin Historical Society, Foundation forRipon Medical Center, Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, Natural ResourcesFoundation of Wisconsin, Urban Ecology Center, Badger State Lewis & Clark Trail

Heritage Foundation,Bancroft Library of theUniversity of Californiaat Berkeley, Washing-ton State Historical Society, League ofWomen Voters, Townof Ripon board and theWisconsin Network forPeace and Justice, justto name a few.

Short talks on theCollege’s history werepresented by BruceKukowski ’10 of Ripon,Wis., who spoke on“The Founding of theSwim Team;” andJacqie Fingerson ’10 ofMazomanie, Wis., whospoke on “Greek Nationalization duringthe 1950s & 1960s.”

BriefsBRIEFSREPAIR WORKCOMING ALONG AFTERFLOODING DAMAGES STORZER

Soon after the students had left for winterbreak, a recently replaced water main inthe basement of the J.M. Storzer PhysicalEducation Center failed. The building’sbasement was flooded with nearly eightfeet of water, and several major systemswere destroyed. This accident on Christmas weekend flooded pool andbuilding water heaters, water softeners,the pool filtration system, emergency generators, sewage ejection pumps and themain electrical switchgear for the building.

Storzer Center was closed for severalweeks to allow plant department and others to restore the facility and prepare itfor athletic events and classroom use.Thankfully, playing surfaces and athleticequipment were not damaged.

Installation of the new exterior padmount transformer and interior switchgear has been completed, and temporarygenerators have been removed. The newfire alarm system and automated pool control operations are almost completed.

Lawn restoration work will begin aftera new emergency generator arrives and isinstalled into the basement.

President David C. Joyce, left, joins Todd and Betty Berens as theycut the cake celebrating the 159th “birthday” of Ripon College.

Ric Damm photo

FORENSICS TEAM TAKES SECOND PLACE AT STATEThe Ripon College Forensics team took second place at the Wisconsin State Collegiate Forensics Championships in February. Ripon earned 19 final-roundplacements, three individual state champions and a much-coveted spot in the Interstate Oratorical Association.

For the first time in at least 15 years, a Ripon student has earned the opportunityto represent the state of Wisconsin in the Interstate Oratorical Association’s national contest in persuasion, to be held the last weekend of April. Sophomore Jeremy D. Johnson of Galesburg, Ill., placed second, earning him one of two statebids to the contest held this year in Oklahoma.

Rep. Joan Ballweg, who served as a guest critic, was so impressed with Jeremy’soration on the topic of permanence of electronic information that she has requested

RIPON EMPLOYEES ASSIST WITHHIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

Tylor Loest ’08, development associate formajor and planned giving, directed StevenSondheim’s musical “Anyone Can Whistle” for the Ripon High School Players in February.

Members of the student cast includedMorgan Krhin, daughter of Director ofStudent Support Services Dan Krhin;Maggie Parks, daughter of former instructors Dan Parks and MargueriteParks; and Ben Schwemmer, son of Secretary/Technician Meg Schwemmer.

Donna Marquart, secretary/technician, helped with costumes. SandyPolycn, adjunct instructor of music, directed the orchestra.

SPRING 2010 9

a copy of his speech and research for purposes of considering legislation thatwould address storage of electronic documents in the state of Wisconsin fornext year’s legislative session.

Individual results: ■ Senior Jeff M. Davis of Ripon, Wis.: StateChampion, Prose Interpretation; thirdplace, Duo Interpretation (with first-yearJessie Lillis of Coldwater, Mich.).■ Senior Luke Lockhart of Richland

Center, Wis.: third place, Communication Analysis; third place, Impromptu Speak-ing; third place, Extemporaneous Speaking, seventh place, Informative Speaking.■ Junior Sara Sisco of Carlsbad, Calif.: fifth place, Communication Analysis.■ Sophomore Jeremy D. Johnson of Galesburg, Ill.: State Champion, InformativeSpeaking; State Champion, After Dinner Speaking; second place, Oratory; sixthplace, Program of Oral Interpretation; fourth place, overall Individual SweepstakesChampion.■ Sophomore Breena Brockmann of Merrill, Wis.: third place, Informative Speaking; fourth place, Communication Analysis; fourth place, Duo Interpretation(with Jessie Lillis).■ Sophomore Emily Moore of Minoqua, Wis: third place, Program of Oral Interpretation.■ Sophomore Sharon Klapperich of Wausau, Wis.: sixth place, Prose Interpretation.■ First-year Jessie Lillis: third place, Duo Interpretation (with Jeff M. Davis); fourthplace, Duo Interpretation (with Breena Brockmann).■ First-year Matt Koch of Laona, Wis.: fourth place, Informative Speaking.■ First-year Ashton Fries of Williams Bay, Wis.: fifth place, Duo Interpretation(with Lori Schroeder).■ First-year Lori Schroeder of Mounds View, Minn.: fifth place, Duo Interpretation(with Ashton Fries).■ First-year Matt Rohrbeck of Portage, Wis.: sixth place, After Dinner Speaking

ACTIVITIES CELEBRATE LIFEOF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.Ripon College’s annual weeklong celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life included a keynote address by Joanna Bland and a performance by slam poet NigelWade.

Bland is co-founder and director of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Ala. She promotes civil and human rights, especially to increasevoter awareness.

She began her activism as an 8-year-old, attending a freedom and voters’ rightsmeeting presided over by King, himself. Stepping right into the middle of the rightsbattles, she marched on “Bloody Sunday” and “Turn around Tuesday,” witnessingbeatings, shootings and the hosing of fellow marchers.

At age 11, she was the youngest of the people arrested at these demonstrations.She continues to be active in organizations devoted to expanding and securing civiland human rights, including groups like the NAACP, Alabama New South Coalition, and Ladies With a Mission.

Wade, a slam poet from Milwaukee, enthusiastically performed in Great Hall.His unique style earned him a place on the 2006 Milwaukee National Slam Teamamong some of the city’s finest poets. He also represented Milwaukee in the 2007Individual World Poetry Slam in Vancouver, British Columbia. He recently securedhis spot on the 2010 Milwaukee Poetry Slam Finals.

BriefsBRIEFSSTUDENTS PERFORMIN ALL-STAR HONORS BAND

Four Ripon students participated in theCollege All-Star Honors Band in Wisconsin Rapids in January. SamanthaMeidl, a junior from Ripon, Wis., andJacquelyn Michalak, first-year from Hartford, Wis., performed on clarinet;Rachel Smith, first-year from Marinette,Wis., played bass clarinet; and GavinZimmerman, a junior from Ripon, Wis.,played euphonium.

This event was sponsored by the National Bandmasters Association-Wisconsin Chapter.

“It was wonderful playing with somany people from all over the state,”Michalak says. “The music was challenging but fun to play with so manygreat players.”

Meidl adds, “This band is very similarto what the theatre department does withthe 24-hour theatre. We rehearse forabout four hours and then for about anhour the next day together. That’s it —and to have it sound as good as it does is agreat feeling and experience for anyone.”

Jeff M. Davis ’10Jeremy Johnson ’12

SOLVERUD REPRESENTS RIPONAT REGIONAL COMPETITION

Jessica Solverud, a senior from Wausau,Wis., was the Ripon College equestrianteam’s first representative at regional competition for the Intercollegiate HorseShow Association. The competition washeld March 7 in Crookston, Minn.

Solverud was one of 19 who showed inher class.

“It’s an honor just getting to regionalcompetition,” says Mary Avery, coach ofthe equestrian team. “Everyone who goesto the competition is considered a regionalchampion.”

The team’s other members, KateHamm, a sophomore from Milwaukee,Wis., and Rachel Geary, a first-year fromWauwatosa, Wis., also have placed wellall season.

Avery says the team expects moremembers next year and will be addingwestern competition to its current huntseat competitions.

10 RIPON MAGAZINE

GORE DOCUMENTARYFOCUS OF ADDRESS

Al Gore’s documentary “An InconvenientTruth” was the focus of a keynote addressby Kathryn M. Olson, this year’s RiponForum on Ethics and Oratory Scholar.Olson is director of the Rhetorical Leadership Graduate Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and apublished author in the areas of rhetoricalleadership in business communication environments, presidential debate issuesand communication and interpersonal violence.

Lindsay Blumer, executive director ofthe Ethical Leadership Program, says,“The Ethics and Oratory series is an important and relevant way for RiponCollege to highlight the inherent ethical implications in communication strategies.”

Olson also spent time working withRipon’s senior communication majors tohelp prepare their analyses of conservationcommunication. Olson’s influence fits inwith Ripon’s dedication to innovative education, Blumer says, adding, “Ms.Olson provided the perspective of howrhetorical communication methods and social advocacy intersect. This intersectionis part of the future of communication,and Ripon is at the forefront of exploringthese ideas in greater depth to provide themaximum learning experience and thegreatest good.”

BriefsBRIEFS

ALUMNUS ALEXANDER LEVIS RETURNS TO RIPONDr. Alexander Levis ’63 of Aldie, Va., returned to Ripon Nov. 4 for a presentationabout his research on the conveniences and advancements that have resulted frommilitary research.

Levis majored in math and physics at Ripon College and continued at MITwhere he received bachelor’s, master’s, master of engineering and doctorate degrees

in mechanical engineering with control systems as his area ofspecialization. He is a professor of electrical, computer and systems engineering at George Mason University.

From 2001 to 2004, Levis served as the chief scientist of theU.S. Air Force at the Pentagon where he advised the Secretaryof the Air Force and the Air Force Chief of Staff on scientificand technological matters.

Colleen Byron, professor of chemistry, says “Professor Leviswas exceedingly kind and generous with his time, giving a public lecture on consumer use of technology developed by themilitary, a scholarly seminar regarding his work in systems engineering, a lecture in ROTC, a career journey in physics anda political science lecture.”

She says sponsoring speakers like Levis is important for students and faculty ofall interests.

“Students learn state-of-the-art content right from the source of that content,”she says. “Students learn that these are real people that create the knowledge the

Alexander Levis ’63

The biology department

recently acquired 18 new Nikon E100 microscopes, funded in part from alumni dona-tions. The microscopes are being used by students during this term in Professor of Biology Skip Wittler’s “Plant Anatomy and Physiology” course. Above, Ben Lehman’12 of Green Lake, Wis., in the foreground, and Eric Schumacher ’12 of Franklin, Wis.,at right, use the new microscopes while Wittler talks in the background. “The micro-scopes are enabling students to view features of plant, animal and bacterial cells at magnifications of up to 1,000-fold,” Wittler says. “They are an important part of ongoing efforts by Ripon College to continually upgrade facilities and instrumentationused in our science courses.” The purchase was made possible in part through generousdonations by James R. Clark ’68 of Mequon, Wis.; William C. MacLeod ’73 of Washington, D.C.; Michael R. Reese ’65 and his wife, Kaye, of Appleton, Wis.; andDena G. Willmore ’67 of Buckland, Mass. Ric Damm photo

New Microscopes for Biology Department

BLOOD DRIVE BRINGSIMPRESSIVE RESULTS

Ripon College has hosted several blood drives this year, and the December eventhad an exceptional outcome. ChargeNurse Kristin Smith says there were atotal of 32 donors (30 students, one faculty member and one community member). This was five donors more thanthe goal.

Overall, the donors saved a total of114 lives. This blood was given to theCommunity Blood Center, which providesall the blood used at Ripon Medical Center, as well as hospitals in Berlin,Oshkosh and Appleton.

SPRING 2010 11

STUDENT FROM RWANDA HONORED BY HER COUNTRYOrnella Umubyeyi, a first-year from Greenfield, Mass., and originally from Rwanda,was one of 20 winners from 350 youths to receive the “Celebrating Young RwandanAchievers” (CYRWA) Award in Rwanda in January. Awards were presented by herexcellency, First Lady Jeannette Kagame, president of Imbuto Foundation.

“Literally translated, Imbuto means seed,” Ornella says.“A seed well-planted, watered, nurtured and given all thenecessary support successfully grows into a healthy plant.”

The CYRWA Award was established to honor outstandingyoung Rwandans who strive toward the highest levels of personal and professional accomplishment, excel in their chosen field, devote time and energy to their community in ameaningful way, and forge paths of leadership for all Rwandanyouths to follow.

The first lady said, “This award bears significance for youas well as for the other youth who will, from this day forward,

be looking up to you. You are now torchbearers and ambassadors, and we trust thatyou will endeavor to live up to the expectations of the people who nominated andawarded you. I encourage you to aim for excellence; to believe in yourselves; to educate, engage and empower other young people; and most of all, to surroundyourselves with people who will bring out the best in you. Such are the qualities ofpromising leaders, leaders who aspire to be part of a dignified generation.”

CalendarCalendarApril 21Awards Convocation

April 24Phi Delta Theta 50th Anniversary

April 29Alumni Event: Madison Fifth Thursday

Happy Hour

April 29Alumni Event: Cincinnati Fifth

Thursday Happy Hour

May 4Last Day of Classes

May 6Final Exams Begin

May 6Alumni Event: Fox Valley, Wis., Happy

Hour

May 12Last Day of Final Exams

May 16 Commencement

May 19Alumni Event: St. Louis Happy Hour

June 25 through 27Alumni Weekend 2010

June 29Alumni Event: Twin Cities Fifth

Tuesday Happy Hour

June 30Alumni Event: Milwaukee Fifth

Wednesday Happy Hour

Ornella Umubyeyi ’13

STUDENTS COMPETE IN ETHICS BOWLIn November, the 2009 Ripon College Ethics Bowl Team competed in the Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, sponsored by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions. Theteam consisted of Alicia Bruns, a sophomore from Schaumburg, Ill., SarahMoehrke, a first-year from Lake Forest Park, Wash., Wally Hernandez, a first-yearfrom Burlington, Wis., Katrina Schauland, a sophomore from Lewiston, Minn., andElizabeth McHone, a junior from Ripon, Wis.

The team, coached by Deano Pape, travelled to Northeastern Illinois Universityfor this competition.

“The Ripon College team tied three judges’ ballots and won one judge’s ballotduring a close competition in which they discussed topics such as cheating on stan-dardized tests, the use of hate speech versus first amendment rights and many moreimportant ethical dilemmas,” Pape says. “The Ripon team competed with other topcolleges and universities and made an excellent showing by arguing their pointswell, working as a team and keeping up the enthusiasm and dedication throughoutthe day-long competition. Although the team did not compete in the final round,they made it through several rounds with good arguments and great team spirit.”

students study, and realize that there are broader opportunities for their intereststhan they had previously thought.”

RIPON NAMED TO SERVICE HONOR ROLLRipon is one of four northeast Wisconsin colleges recognized for community servicein 2009 by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The four werenamed to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Honorees were chosen from more than 700 colleges, based on a series of factors,including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to whichthe school offers academic service-learning courses.

The honor recognizes Ripon’s commitment to service and the great work that

12 RIPON MAGAZINE

BriefsBRIEFS

TRUSTEE PROFILE:

CLAIRE SANTERALLI GREGOIRE ’77Elected: August 1998 Business: President, KAMDEN

Strategy Group

What compelled you to become a Ripon College Trustee?My passion for education andhelping young adults createoptions and opportunities fortheir future lives. My love andhigh regard for Ripon Collegeand deep desire to give back to aninstitution and a community that hasgiven so much to me.

What rewards does it offer?A strong value of mine is to havetwo dynamics always present: contributing and learning. In myTrustee role, I have a great sense ofself-fulfillment because these two arealways present.■ Contributing – Bringing

experience, expertise and skills tothe table and being able to guide,lead, impact, influence and makea difference.

■ Learning – Committee work, special initiatives and boardmeetings continue to develop myleadership skills and offer manylearning opportunities for me,adding to my life-long learningwhich I value greatly.

What qualities do you bring to the table as a Trustee?Experience/expertise: business management, human resource experience, operations management experience; Skills: leadership, finan-cial, organizational, team-building,decision-making, problem-solving;Qualities: business acumen, strategicthinking, solutions-oriented, passionfor giving young people access tohigher learning and education.

What are some of your pursuits/hobbies/interests?Fine arts, playing thepiano, going to thesymphony; reading;golf; learning aboutdifferent cultures andpolitical perspectives;traveling abroad;cooking; involvementin organizations that

support business and education, partic-ularly focused on women and children.

What do you see as the most significant challenges for higher education in general, and Ripon in particular?I believe the educational “industry”is ripe for consolidation — this is avery fragmented industry (communi-ty colleges, four-year public and private institutions, trade schools,etc.), and there are far too many col-leges and universities in the UnitedStates for the demographics, econo-my and social structures to support.The demographics of 0-18-year-oldswill not fill all of these seats in thefuture, education will be competingwith health-care funding for a longtime, and our philanthropic spirit, asgenerous as it is in the United States,cannot support all of these.

For Ripon, we need to not getlost along the way, and continue tostand out as the top-notch, premier“hidden jewel” that we are.

What excites you the most about Ripon College’s future?Knowing that Ripon gets strongerevery day, will be well-positioned tobe a survivor and will continue tomake a difference in the life-longlearning of adults throughout thecountry and across the globe.

Claire Santeralli Gregoire ’77

students, faculty and staff are doing both on campus and in the surrounding communities.

Details about the honor roll can be found at www.nationalservice.gov/honorroll/. r

STUDENT NEWSPAPEREARNS REGIONAL HONOR

The College Days earned second place inthe “Best of Show” category for non-weekly newspapers at the Best of the Midwest College Newspaper Conventionin Minneapolis Feb. 14. The conventionwas sponsored by the Associated Collegiate Press, and student journalistsfrom 26 schools throughout the Midwestattended.

“It’s an honor,” says student editorJohn Bailey, a senior from Hortonville,Wis. “It shows what a very small staff cando when they are not getting paid or earning credit, but for their own goodwill.”

PROFESSOR ROY WRITES‘SKINHEAD’ AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead: Frank Meeink’s Story, as told

to CommunicationProfessor Jody Roy, isa tale of personaltransformation fromAmerica’s Nazi underground to victory over hatredand addiction.

This is Roy’s thirdbook. She chairs theboard of directors ofthe National

Association of Students Against ViolenceEverywhere (SAVE), a national, non-profit anti-violence organization.

Jody Roy

STUDENT CLUBSRAISE $600 FOR HAITI

The International Relations Club (IRC), Campus Christian Fellowship and Officeof Community Engagement raised almost$600 for the Bush/Clinton Haiti Fund tohelp victims of the Haiti earthquake.

IRC president Kate Heng, a seniorfrom Appleton, Wis., says members of theclub took turns for nearly a week, sittingwith a can for change in front of the Commons.

SPRING 2010 13

SportssportsGillespie,Wurtz LeadHot-ShootingHawks, EarnAll-RegionHonors

The men’s basketball team experienced a tremendous yearduring the 2009-10 season,

going 15-9, the team’s most victoriessince winning 18 games in the 2004-05season. This year’s team also went 10-6in the Midwest Conference (MWC)which placed them in a tie for third.

This season was an especially historicone for junior guard Scott Gillespie(Ripon, Wis.) and sophomore forwardAris Wurtz (Waupun, Wis.), who bothearned First Team All-Conference selec-

tions, markingthe first time in11 years thatmore than oneRed Hawk wasnamed to thefirst team.Gillespie and

Wurtz also became the first Ripon teammates to score more than 500points in the same season, which earnedthem both a spot on the D3hoops All-Region Third Team. Gillespie alsoearned National Association of Basket-ball Coaches (NABC) All-Region honors for the first time in his career,earning a spot on the second team.

Wurtz finished the season averaging22.3 points per game, which ranked second in the MWC and eighth inNCAA Division-III, while Gillespie averaged 22.1 points per game, third inthe MWC and 11th in Division-III.Their final point totals rank sixth andseventh, respectively, for the highest sin-

gle season point total in school history.They also each scored season-highs of37 points against Grinnell College onFeb. 5, which ties them for the 10th-highest scoring output in a single gameby a Red Hawk.

Gillespie also reached a coupleother milestones this season, scoringhis 1,000th point at Grinnell Collegeon Dec. 5. With his 531 points at theend of the year, Gillespie became justthe second player in school history toscore more than 400 points in threedifferent seasons. With 400 points nextseason, he will become the only playerto achieve that feat in four differentyears. Gillespie currently is fifth on theschool’s all-time scoring list with 1,434points, needing 432 points to break theschool record.

In addition to his scoring prowess,Gillespie distributed the ball almostbetter than anyone in the country, averaging 7.3 assists per game, whichled the MWC and ranked second inDivision-III. In Ripon’s final game ofthe season, a 78-74 loss at St. Norbertin the semi-final round of the MWCTournament, Gillespie recorded eightassists, giving him 176 for the season,which sets a new school record for asingle season. He currently ranks fourthon Ripon’s career assists list with 420.

WINTERSPORTSRECAP

Gillespie also moved into seventh inschool history for career steals, after lead-ing the MWC with two steals per game.He also was second in the MWC in fieldgoal percentage (.542). Gillespie record-ed seven double-doubles this season, in-cluding six in Ripon’s final 13 games.

Gillespie also moved into seventh inschool history for career steals, after lead-ing the MWC with 2 steals per game. Healso was second in the MWC in fieldgoal percentage (.542). Gillespie record-ed seven double-doubles this season, including six in Ripon’s final 13 games.

Wurtz also did more than just scorethis season. He also ranked third in theMWC in rebounding with 7.6 per game,making him the only player in the con-ference to rank in the top four in bothscoring and rebounding. His 182 re-bounds are tied for the sixth-highest sin-gle season total in school history. Wurtzalso ranked fourth in the MWC in bothfield goal percentage (.538) and free-throw percentage (.852), while rankingseventh in 3-point percentage (.390).

As a team, the Red Hawks were oneof the best shooting teams in the country all season. They finished theyear ranked second in all of Division-IIIwith a field goal percentage of .516.

With the team’s 15 wins this season,Head Coach Bob Gillespie now has 482

Aris Wurtz ’12 was a First Team All-Conference selection. He placed second in theMWC and eighth in NCAA Division-III inpoints and tied for sixth in school history formost rebounds in a single season.

Scott Gillespie ’11 was a First Team All-Conference selection. He averaged 22.1 pointsper game, third in the MWC and 11th in Division-III. He scored his 1,000th point and isfifth on Ripon’s all-time scoring list.

14 RIPON MAGAZINE

conference in scoring, rebound-ing, steals, assists,field goal percent-age (.506) andfree-throw percentage (.793).

Fellow seniorsCarissa Zuercher(Delafield, Wis.)and Ashley Meister (Suamico,

Wis.) also had outstanding seasons,leaving their mark on the women’sbasketball program. Zuercher led theteam with 61 steals, the fifth-highestsingle season total by a Red Hawk. Shealso converted 26 3-pointers, giving her60 for her career, which is tied foreighth on Ripon’s all-time list. Meisterled the team with 90 assists (3.6 apg),the fourth-highest total in the MWCand ranks ninth in Ripon’s single-seasonrecord book. That gives Meister 210 assists for her career, which is tied forthe ninth-highest total in school history.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELDThe men’s indoor track and field seasonculminated in a fourth-place finish atthe 2010 MWC championships. At thatmeet, the Red Hawks scored 97 points,the most points Ripon has ever scored,

victories in his 30-year career, all ofwhich have been at Ripon. For his contribution to Ripon College and themen’s basketball program, Gillespie wasgiven one of the highest honors a coachcan receive, as the basketball court atWyman Gymnasium in Storzer Centerwas named “Bob Gillespie Court” in hishonor prior to Ripon’s game against Beloit College Feb. 13.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLThe women’s basketball team advancedto the MWC tournament championshipgame for the second consecutive season,only to lose to top-seed St. Norbert College. It still was a successful year asRipon went 18-7, the team’s most winsin a season in five years. That included a13-3 mark and second-place finish inthe MWC, giving them their highestconference win total in six seasons. TheRed Hawks broke school records for 3-pointers made (128), shattering the previous mark by 18, and free-throwpercentage, shooting 70 percent fromthe charity stripe during the season.

Leading the way for the Red Hawkswere Jessica DeHamer (Sr., Neenah,Wis.) and Erin Lind (So., Ripon, Wis.),both of whom were named First TeamAll-Conference. That marks the first

time in five years that Ripon had morethan one player earn First Team honors.

Lind had an outstanding season,recording the sixth-most points (381)and 10th-most rebounds (184) in a single season in school history. She wasthe only player in the MWC to finishin the top five in scoring and rebound-ing, ranking third and fourth, respec-tively. Her 15.2 points per game average rank 10th in school history.She also recorded 18 blocks, the 10th-highest single season total by a RedHawk. Lind has 35 for her career (withtwo full seasons to play) and is fifth onRipon’s career list. Seven of her 18blocks this season came against IllinoisCollege Jan. 15, the second-most blocksin a single game in school history.

DeHamer also had a tremendousseason, as she ends her Ripon careerranked 11th in points (864), seventh inrebounds (569) and second in steals(199). This season, DeHamer was second on the team both in scoring andrebounding with career-bests of 12.8points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Shealso recorded 60 steals (2.4 spg), thesixth-highest single season total inRipon history, and 3.2 assists per game,which ranked third on the team. DeHamer was the only player in theMWC to rank in the top 12 in the

Erin Lind ’12, left, and Jessica DeHamer ’10, right, both were named First Team All-Conference.Lind recorded the sixth-most points and 10th-most rebounds in a single season in school history andwas the only player in the MWC to finish in the top five in scoring and rebounding. DeHamer endedher Ripon career ranked 11th in points, seventh in rebounds and second in steals.

Ashley Meister ’10 left her mark on women’sbasketball, leading the team with 90 assists, thefourth-highest total in the MWC and ninth inRipon’s single-season record book.

Carissa Zuercher ’10

SPRING 2010 15

breaking the previous record by 33.5points. At the MWC championships,the Red Hawks broke three schoolrecords. They included an NCAA provisionally qualifying mark by KyleRoy (Jr., Fredonia, Wis.) in the shot put,which saw him throw a distance of 51-07, breaking the 23-year-old schoolrecord by three inches. Roy also finishedsecond in the weight throw, whichhelped him earn MWC Indoor FieldPerformer of the Meet honors for thesecond consecutive year.

Also etching his name in the Riponrecord books was Cory Zimmerman (Fr.,Grand Marsh, Wis.), who ran an 800meter time of 1:58.63, which placed himsecond in the event. Ripon’s sprint medley relay (SMR) team of Zimmer-man, Matt Wood (Fr., Port Washington,Wis.), Majid Abdoulmoumine (Sr.,Washington, D.C.) and Jamie Reese (Jr.,Columbus, Wis.) also finished second atthe MWC championships with aschool-record-setting time of 3:41.93,which breaks the seven-year-old markby two seconds. Ripon finished the meetjust one point out of third place.

Breaking records should be nothingnew to Wood, who in addition to hispart on the SMR team, broke two individual records. He broke the schoolmark in the 200 Meters on three occasions, with his best time of 22.61 coming at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Invitational. Wood alsobroke the school record in the 400 me-ters with a time of 50.73 at the Univer-sity of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Invitational.At the MWC championships, Woodplaced in the 200, 400 and 55 meters.

Also earning All-Conference honorsfor a top-three finish was Jason Smith (Jr.,Stevens Point, Wis.), who took secondplace in the 5K and third in the 3K.Ripon placed in the top four in six of theirmeets this season. Their fourth-place finish at the MWC championships wasone spot shy of their school record third-

place finish at the event, which hap-pened on two occasions. In all, the RedHawk men placed in 19 events, 11 morethan at last year’s MWC championships.

The women’s indoor track and fieldteam earned 35.5 points at this year’sMWC championships, good enough forfifth place. Earning All-Conferencehonors for the Red Hawks was their distance medley relay team, which con-

sisted of Jessica Davey (Sr., Berlin, Wis.),Alaina Nesbitt (So., Sturgeon Bay, Wis.)Rebecca Ostrowski (Fr., Wautoma, Wis.)and Michelle Matter (Fr., Sussex, Wis.).Matter also took fifth in the 3K and sixthin the mile. Also earning a fifth-place fin-ish was Jessica Brungardt (So., Peyton,Colo.), who recorded a career-best in theshot put with a throw of 38-03, while fin-ishing seventh in the weight throw with adistance of 41-04. Nicole Schmidt (Fr.,Brussels, Wis.) also had a good meet toend the year, finishing sixth and eighth inthe 55 and 200 meters, respectively. TheRed Hawks placed in 13 events, one morethan last year’s MWC championships.

SWIMMING AND DIVINGFirst-year head coach Jennifer Davistook over the reins of the swim team

Cory Zimmerman ’13 Jessica Brungardt ’12

Ripon’s court in Wyman Gymnasium at Storzer Center hasbeen named “Bob Gillespie Court” in honor of current headcoach Bob Gillespie, who is the winningest coach in Riponmen’s basketball history.

Gillespie, who is in his 30th season at the helm of the RedHawks, has compiled a career record of 482-226, the 33rd-most victories by a men’s basketball coach in Division-III. Hiscareer winning percentage of .680 is among the top 40 in thehistory of Division-III.

Under Gillespie, Ripon has experienced unprecedented success, as he has led the Red Hawks to six Midwest Conference Championships and 14 appearances in the MWCTournament, including 10 in a row from 1990-2000. He hasalso led Ripon to the NCAA Tournament on 10 occasions,winning four NCAA Tournament games in his career. In his tenure, Gillespie hascoached 39 First Team All-Conference performers, five All-Region players, three All-Americans and one Academic All-American.

One of the high-points of Gillespie’s career came during the 1997-98 campaign,which saw Ripon win a school record 23 games, including a school record 21 consecutive victories. Gillespie has led Ripon to the five highest single season win totalsin school history. A few of his distinguished honors for Gillespie over the years havebeen the 1998 Midwest Conference Coach of the Year award and his induction to theWisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Hall of Fame in 2008.

“Bob is a remarkably talented and accomplished coach,” says Vice President andDean of Faculty Gerald Seaman. “Still, for Bob, coaching has always been about morethan wins and losses, more than prizes, records and awards. It’s been about the players— their effort, their accomplishments, their hopes, dreams and happiness, and, notleast important, their education.

“Naming this court after him will honor Bob Gillespie and be a lasting testimony tohis accomplishments, certainly. Perhaps more enduring, it also will remind generationsto follow of the importance of those things that are not reported at the scorer’s table andthat are most tellingly reflected in Bob’s approach to his work and in the lives of thosewho were fortunate enough to play for this very special coach.”

RIPON’S BASKETBALL COURTNAMED IN HONOR OF BOB GILLESPIE

Bob Gillespie

Brandon Taylor ’12

16 RIPON MAGAZINE

Kyle Roy ’11

Jenni Schalla ’10 Megan Rice ’11

Ripon Ladies Find Pleasure in ‘Unladylike’ Boxing

Frances Grace Wilson, a historymajor from the class of 1919, wasquoted in the Ripon College

Crimson saying, “Sometimes I think Iwant to do something unladylike.” Ninety years later, Ripon College womenare doing just that with the formation ofa women’s boxing club last spring.

Last year, there were 33 club members. This year, there are 18 morefor a total of 51 members. Ali Borowsky,a sophomore from Oxford, Pa., organizedthe first meeting.

“My great-grandfather boxed in theJunior Olympics,” she says. “I guess youcould say that it’s in the family (blood).

“As an involved member of StudentSupport Services, I frequently workedwith Jessica Spanbauer,” she says. “Wewould talk about sports, and one day sheasked me if I was interested in boxingbecause she had always been fascinatedwith it. Growing up in Philly and run-ning up the steps of the PhiladelphiaArt Museum just like Rocky, I’ve alwaysloved boxing. Jessica asked me if I wouldbe interested in starting a boxing club atRipon. So, I did a lot of research, got organized and did fund-raising.”

The history of women on Ripon College’s campus has been along one, and their presenceon campus has morphedthroughout the years.

In Ripon’s early history,some women participated

in the Young Women’sChristian Association(YWCA), a club thatworked to develop the Chris-tian character of the campuswomen. The Women’s SelfGovernment Association(WSGA) was an organiza-tion through which Riponwomen had the opportunityto show themselves at theirbest, as willing and able tofunction as responsible citi-zens in their college commu-nity. Throughout its exis-tence, the WSGA createdand enforced regulations for

women on campus, which ranged fromthe dress code for dinner and Sundaylunch to the rules for having male visitors in the residence halls where “par-lor lights were not to be extinguished.”

Women’s sports on campus havechanged throughout history as well.School-sanctioned sports for womenwere nonexistent on campus until 1917.Gym class was created for women andincluded “systematic exercises for thedevelopment of all parts of the body.The aim is to develop qualities of organic vigor, muscular skill, correctposture and graceful actions.” The activities included marching, the teaching of games and folk dance.Sports for women at Ripon have trans-formed over the years, and now the college supports 12 women’s sportsteams, as well as clubs and intramurals.

But why boxing and why now?Borowsky says the world of

women’s athleticism and overall healthhas created a cultural shift.

“The current student body at Riponhas certainly grown up in the health-focused environment,” she says. “Riponwomen are active, energetic and health-

Andrea Nelson, left, a former pro boxer from Madison, worksone-on-one with Alina Jordan ’12 of the Ripon College Women’s Boxing Club.

SPRING 2010 17

this season with an emphasis on teamwork and enjoying the sport. TheRed Hawks responded with one of themost tightly-knit teams in the MWC.

One highlight of the Red Hawks’season came at their only home meet,which saw the men’s team defeat BeloitCollege, while the women’s team fell tothe Buccaneers by six points. BrandonTaylor (So., Union, Ore.) highlightedthat meet, finishing first in the 50-yardfreestyle and 100-yard butterfly. BruceKukowski (Sr., Muskego, Wis.), ZachSmith (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) and LucasEbert (So., Grafton, Wis.) also won anevent each, finishing first in the 1,000-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard backstroke, respec-tively. The women were led by JenniSchalla (Sr., West Bend, Wis.) andMegan Rice (Jr., New Berlin, Wis.), whoboth won a pair of events. Schalla wasvictorious in the 200-yard IM and 100-yard breaststroke, while Rice finishedfirst in the 200- and 100-yard freestyles.

The Red Hawks men and womenended the season with seventh- andeighth-place finishes, respectively, at the2010 MWC championships. At thatmeet, Taylor gave the men’s team itshighest finish, taking eighth in the 100-yard butterfly, while Ebert and AustinMcNeal (Jr., Willits, Calif.) finished10th in the 100-yard breaststroke andbackstroke, respectively. The women’steam was led by Rice, who swam threetop 10 finishes, including a seventhplace time of 56.59 in the 100-yardfreestyle, just 1.48 seconds away frombreaking the school record in the event.Schalla also finished in the top 10 in atrio of events, taking eighth in the 200-yard IM and breaststroke and 10th inthe 400-yard IM. Katie Corbett (Jr.,Burlington, Wis.) gave Ripon a 10thplace finish as well, swimming a time of2:26.26 in the 200-yard backstroke. r

conscious. The boxing club is a good fitfor these things.”

She thought starting a boxing club oncampus would benefit those who havenot found an outlet in other sports. It isone of the only individual athletic en-deavors students can pursue on campus.

“Although we work out together andmeet as a group, the level of trainingthat each person pursues is up to her,”she says. “This flexibility is really important, given the busy schedules ofmost college students.”

Boxing is one of the most physicallyand emotionally demanding sports, emblematic of physical toughness. It’s avisceral, intense, personal disciplinesport that demands a balance betweenaggression and restraint.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feed-back,” Borowsky says. “Some of thewomen do it for the workout, and othersare truly interested in sparring and competing at some point. I run thetraining sessions almost every day andhave developed circuit training.”

Borowsky knew some boxing funda-mentals, but to take the club to a

new level she sought the help of formerprofessional boxer Andrea Nelson. Nelson was the first professional femaleboxer in the state of Wisconsin. She wasinspired by the Ripon women andagreed to come to train at Ripon for afew hours. She shared her boxingknowledge and led the women in intense boxing training sessions with

classic techniques. Arranging for boxing equipment was

more work than the club expected.“It was difficult to secure space as

there isn’t a lot of extra space on cam-pus,” Borowsky says. “Finding an ade-quate location involved the coordinationof several different offices and staff oncampus. We bought the equipment usingthe money we secured through a One-Fund (financing) from Student Senate.”

Borowsky says the club benefits thecollege community.

“It offers a unique physical and athletic outlet for women which can leadto better physical health and wellness,self-esteem and confidence,” she says. “Ifthis club can help just one of its membersfeel safer in her environment or feel goodabout what she’s accomplished, then thatmakes all of my hard work pay off.”

Amanda Prouty, a sophomore fromApple Valley, Minn., and an active member of the boxing club, says she

Andrea Nelson, right, teaches proper technique to members of the Ripon College Women’s BoxingClub. Ali Borowsky ’12 is in the black T-shirt at the center, and Jessica Martzahl ’11 is to her left inthe black shorts and grey T-shirt.

joined the club to develop her boxingskills and to have a more intense workout twice a week. She believes it isa great way to meet a variety of peopleon campus and that it’s great to have anindividualized workout.

“(When I box) I can just rid myselfof stress and get away from the busynessof my schedule,” she says. “And seriously, who doesn’t enjoy a workoutwhere you get to punch something androck out to music?”

Borowsky concurres with the stress-relief benefits of boxing.

“There is something Zen about working out and training your body,”she says. “For many of us, it is a timethat our brains can just ‘shut off.’ That’sa really great thing, considering the intellectual demands of college. And nomatter what the frustration from school,work or life, the heavy bag is alwaysready for another round.”

These ladies look to improve in thefuture. The boxing club would like

to continue building strength, unity andself-awareness.

“We would like the women whowant an excellent workout to learn andmaster basic techniques of boxing and tofeel confident with a pair of gloves on,”Borowsky says. “And for the womenwho are more serious, we would eventu-ally like to compete in tournaments.”

Whether members of the club climbinto a real ring someday remains to beseen, but one thing is clear: Ladylike ornot, sometimes you just need to hit stuff.

Ali Borowsky transferred out of Riponsince this interview, but the Women’s Boxing Club still is going strong. JessicaMartzahl ’11 of Ripon, Wis., now is thepresident. r

Katie Mead ’11

The great boxing champ Muhammad Ali once said, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”Little did he know that one day men no longer would rule the ring. In recent years, women’sboxing has taken off. With movies like “Million Dollar Baby” and “Girlfight,” boxing hasmorphed into a sport in which both genders can excel. In fact, it’s been a long time since the“sweet science” was solely the province of men.

Women’s boxing appeared in the United States during the 1870s, where women let thepunches fly in order to win items like a silver butter dish. The sport was changed foreverwhen Barbara Buttrick became the first female boxer to have her fight televised in 1954. In1993, women boxers finally saw their professional break when USA Boxing recognized andsupported the concept of women’s boxing. In 1999, awareness for women’s boxing increasedwhen Laila “Madame Butterfly” Ali, daughter of the great Muhammad Ali, stepped into thering. Since then, women’s boxing has become a powerhouse sport.

18 RIPON MAGAZINE

ALumnialumni

SPRING 2010 19

Alumnus Reflects on Life in the Foreign Service

Robert S. Needham ’86 of FallChurch, Va., is the managementcounselor at the U.S. Embassy in

Kyiv, Ukraine. Here, he talks about hiscareer and the influence that RiponCollege had upon it:

“I don’t think I ever imagined thatI’d stay in the State Department for aslong as this. I joined because it soundedlike an adventure, living overseasappealed to me, and it was an excellentway to experience different culturesfirst-hand. It has been all that and more.And after more than 18 years as aforeign service officer, I’m still enjoyingthe challenge of a new job in a differentcountry every few years.”

In his current role, he runs the day-to-day operations to support the entiremission and has a diverse portfolio —everything from local government inter-action, finance, real estate managementand human resources issues.

“All of this often involves negotia-tions with local governments ornational government officials, or some-times both at the same time,” he says.“And they often can’t agree on any-thing. Ukraine’s a great example of this.The country’s political and economicproblems are well-documented. As aformer Soviet state, clear legislation andthe rule of law are still lacking, makingworking and living here quite achallenge. We’re currently building anew Embassy facility here to accommo-date our staff members, who are spreadout all over the city in five facilities.Hardly a week goes by without a newwrinkle requiring further negotiations. Ifthere’s one thing I’ve learned workingfor state, it’s the value of patience, andI’ve needed every bit of it here.”

Needham began his foreign servicecareer in the western Polish city ofPoznan.

“After the fall of the Berlin Wall,Central Europe was the place to be,” hesays, “and so the consulate general inPoznan was a great introduction to theforeign service. With only fiveAmerican officers covering all of west-ern Poland, we had an active work andsocial schedule. I also met my wife in

Poznan. This is an occupational‘hazard’ of life in the foreign service —if you’re single when you go overseas,you’re likely to get married overseas.”

From Poland, the couple lived inMuscat, Oman; Zagreb, Croatia;London, England; and Copenhagen,Denmark. Each holds special memoriesfor them.

“Oman was a beautiful country,”Needham says. “Croatia in themid-’90s was just coming to grips withindependence and the war which toreYugoslavia apart. London was, well,London. And Denmark was a greatplace for a family with a young kid. Inall these places, I’ve had too manyexperiences and met too many interest-ing people to recount here. Needless tosay, life has never been boring.

“Of course, there are drawbacks tothis lifestyle. Moving everything youown every few years gets more difficultas you accumulate more ‘stuff.’ Afterseven international moves, we’vebecome experts, but that doesn’t makeit any easier. Probably the mostdifficult aspect of the moves is thatevery few years we find ourselves sayinggoodbye to good friends and having tomake new ones in the next place. Thisdoesn’t happen overnight, and it canbe particularly hard on kids. Luckily,our son makes friends easily and hasadapted well. But many families

struggle with this issue.”He says one of the best things about

the Foreign Service, for him personally,was being able to maintain his interest insoccer. He has played games in Omanuntil nearly midnight because of the heatduring the day; on muddy English pitchesthat looked more like cow pastures; and,along with his son, held season tickets inEngland and Denmark and attendedmatches all over Europe, including aReal Madrid/Barcelona match and theWorld Cup Final in Berlin.

He also took up coaching while inDenmark at a local Danish club andcontinues to coach in Ukraine.

“It’s been a great stress reliever forme,” he says.

“I can certainly recommend the for-eign service to anyone who has an inter-est in international relations, or whojust wants to live and work overseas,”Needham says. “There are numerousdifferent types of positions which are alldescribed in the careers section of theU.S. State Department’s Web page.Many who join do so as a second careerand they come from all backgrounds andprofessions, which can lead to someinteresting conversations at work.

“And if you were educated at Ripon,chances are you are well-prepared for ajob that requires an open mind and theability to communicate well withothers.” r

Robert Needham, right, and his wife, Aleksandra, left, pose with Vice President Joe Biden duringBiden’s visit to Kyiv.

Thomas Ashley-Farrand ’62 Follows Spiritual Journeyfrom 2-year-old Singer to Certified Hindu Guru

20 RIPON MAGAZINE

Thomas Ashley-Farrand ’62 ofPortland, Ore., has beenspiritual from a very young age.

He lost faith in his Christian back-ground when he didn’t find the answershe was seeking and went for severalyears living a nonreligious life.

But a transformation led him down apath to where he now is a certified guruin the Hindu faith, an extreme rarity fora Westerner, and one of the Westernworld’s foremost authorities onHinduism. He spoke of the journeywhile visiting Ripon in March, givingseveral public and in-class presentations.

“From the age of about 2, I could seea light when I closed my eyes and Iwould sing to it,” Ashley-Farrand says.When he was about 4, his grandparentstook him to their church to sing for thecongregation. He couldn’t understandwhy everyone there was not singing tothe light he saw.

He felt drawn to a religious approachto life and started attending Congrega-

tional services on his ownas a young child. At the ageof 10, he asked, “If Jesussays to try to be perfect,why isn’t everybody tryingto be perfect?” He was toldit wasn’t possible.

“I’m a practical guy,” hesays. “If it’s not possible,why am I wasting my time?”

So from the ages of 10 to28, he “lived a completelysecular life,” he says. “Reli-gion was the farthest thing from mymind when I was a student here.”

At Ripon, Ashley-Farrand earnedhis bachelor’s degree in speech

and co-founded a jazz ensemble, TheIndigos, with Ripon alumni Al Jarreau’62, Peter Bock ’62 and DonnaOberholtzer ’63. After graduating, heearned his master’s degree at MarquetteUniversity.

A series of spiritual experiences led

him back to exploration.“I had a life-altering experi-

ence in 1970, an out-of-body,near-death experience, andeverything about my lifechanged in about 30 seconds,”he says. “I realized that I neededto get a handle and understandwhat was happening to me. Iwent around the country look-ing for spiritual teachers whocould explain what washappening to me and one to

place myself under.”He found one in his own backyard

when he gave up his seeking andreturned to his home base inWashington, D.C. Under his spiritualteachers, he was initiated as a priest in aHindu temple in Washington, D.C.,taught at George Washington Univer-sity, became president of the nonprofitorganization Sanatana Dharma SatsangInc., wrote several books and audioprograms, and worked extensively in thebroadcasting industry.

In June 2009, he became a guru, arecognized authority in the Hindu

tradition.“I’m a spiritual teacher,” Ashley-

Farrand says, and reincarnation is at thecore of his faith.

“Each of us makes decisions beforewe come into a body as to what we wantto do,” he says. “In my case, I have toassume that I decided this would be amystical life. I have a sense of therhythm of life.”

He said his spiritual development hasbeen greatly enhanced by his teachersand gurus, a husband-and-wife team.“Their ongoing living the life of divinelove as a constant example,” he says,“and demonstrating the possible interms of human spiritual developmentand ongoing experience that said, ‘Yes,you’re on the right path, you’re doingthe rights kinds of things, keep going.’ ”

He also is a master of mantra. “Amantra, at its core, is a spiritual

ThomasAshley-Farrand ’62

Sigma Chi alumni gathered in GreenLake in the fall of 2009. Admiring the

new sign on campus were, from left: John Ackley ’62 and Helen Steinman Ackley ’63 ofPewaukee, Wis.; Dan Behring ’62 and Nancy Steeno Behring ’62 of Manistee, Mich.;John Korbel ’60 of Naples, Fla.; and Elise Werner Enk ’62 and Gordon Enk ’62 ofSeattle, Wash.

Sigma Chi Alumni Reunite

SPRING 2010 21

The annual Alumni Games featuring men’s and women’s basketballplayers from Ripon’s past were held Feb. 13 before Ripon’s gameagainst Beloit College. The men’s team included, front row fromleft: Grant Oleson ’10, Charles Belt ’09, Eric Wright ’08, TimGera ’98, Matt Becker ’99, David McMullen ’07 and TommyBecker ’05; middle row from left: Adam Zakos ’98, Jason Loewe’94, Steve Kohl ’02, Craig Smith ’96, Adam Crawford ’03 and JoeEarly ’03; and back row from left: Chris Jensen ’85, Paul Wise ’08,Bo Johnson ’07, Brett Vraney ’01, Brian Schmitting ’07 and ChrisKellett ’08.The women’s team included, front row from left: Rit Lee ’93, Jeri

Belongia Loewe ’96, Tiffany Goebel ’08 and Julie Johnson, assistantathletic director and head coach of women’s basketball; middle row,from left: Kristin Hereid ’90, Lindsey Gorske Michels ’04, MollyKneip Maurer ’03, Lisa Sproston Sutter ’94, Christina Schneider’08, Kristin Dodds ’98, Jeni Yaeger ’09 and Amanda Guay ’05; andback row, from left, Elaine Coll, professor of physical educationemeritus, Crystal Helm ’97, Katie Carlson ’06, Sara Gustafson ’07,Karalyn Dehn ’06, Andrea Wepner ’96, Niki Gorske Sutter ’01,Kelly Johnson-Becker ’99, Neely Zakos ’01, Joanie Hammer ’04,Janine Emmer ’05 and Pat Gonyo ’89.

ALUMNI BASKETBALL GAMESDRAW GREAT TURNOUTS

formula that works in a very specificway,” he says. “Each mantra has a seer,an ancient sage who saw how themantra worked in our spiritual physiol-ogy. Just as we have the same physicalphysiology, and doctors can prescribecertain medicines (for certainconditions), we all have the samespiritual physiology, as well, So theancient sages can see which spiritualformula will work in which kinds ofconditions, or problems or difficulties.

“Mantras deal directly with ourkarmic predicament depending on theformulas that are used,” he says. “Karmadetermines the situation of our birth,our family, our friends or our spouses;whether we have good health or bad;whether we have tumultuous orharmonious relationships. All of it iskarma and all of it can be changed.”

He said this can be achieved in manydifferent ways, and that prayer is apowerful tool.

“The eradiation of karma is a vastsubject, and different approaches teachdifferent techniques and modalities forapproaching it,” he says. Because he

understands mantra, that is what heteaches.

“Mantra reduces and eventuallyeliminates the karmic problems we’redealing with,” he says.

He said that while many spiritualgifts can be obtained by anyone withconcentrated exercise, some havespecial talents. Just as some can beborn with talents in athletics,mathematics and music, the same istrue spiritually, he says.

“Those who have certain kinds ofgifts can see certain kinds of things. Isense things. … I (relate) in muchmore of a perceptual and non-intellectual way to my surroundings.That’s a rich fund of information. Ithelps one determine or sense whatproblems, issues or difficulties peoplemay be experiencing.”

Mantras, he says, can getspecifically at some of those problems.

“A guru is not a state of conscious-ness,” he says. “A guru is a job. Youhave been given some gifts that willhelp others, some tangible, mysticalgifts. It’s really that simple.”

He said the foundations of differentreligions can be similar. “Our teacherused to say the biggest thing is sincer-ity,” he says. “And any discipline you dodemonstrate your sincerity, and that willbring the grace of God.”

Ashley-Farrand says he was pleasedto be back in Ripon after nearly

20 years.“How wonderful it is to be back in

Ripon,” he says. “And I’m delighted atall the progress, and the teachers thatI’ve met here have continued the tradi-tion that was so important to me — andthat is contact with the students. It’ssuch an important part of the education,(as well as) making themselves avail-able. And that goes right up to the topto David Joyce and Lynne, his wife.”

The full podcast of an interview withAshley-Farrand, including the recitationof the Gayatri mantra, a powerful prayerwritten more than 3,000 years ago, canbe found on Ripon’s Web site atwww.ripon.edu/podcast/index.htm. r

Class NotesCLASS NOTESthird-grade classroom help-ing students who havelearning deficits with lan-guage arts, reading andmath. He also is involvedwith the district in organiz-ing a melanoma awarenessprogram throughout theboys and girls athletic pro-grams at three highschools. On weekends dur-ing the growing season, hekeeps busy tending to thesix flower gardens at thehome he owns in GalenaTerritory. His late wife, Diane, developed thegardens.

Diane Gotz Raniere ’60 of Schaumburg, Ill.,retired from her business in 2007 and went on asecond trip through the Panama Canal andtoured Guatamala, Costa Rica, Mexico andGrand Bahama.

Ed Siebel ’60 of Newport Beach, Calif., writes:“Sue and I are, after all these years on separatetracks — developmental psychology and law —working together from a home office. We’rerepresenting kids with disabilities who need helpdealing with their school district’s obligationsunder the Individuals with Disabilities EducationAct (IDEA). Sue does the negotiating withteachers and the school, I do the heavy number ifschools refuse to provide mandated support. It’srewarding work — most often we help untangleconfused communications and provide someeducation to school personnel who don’t under-stand the requirements of the IDEA.”

William G. “Bill” Jochimsen ’61 of New YorkCity completed more than 40 years in the phar-maceutical industry, the last 15 as a director inthe medical department of Pfizer Inc. He hasretired and opened his own consulting firmassisting clients with drug development, clinicalresearch and professional relations. He and hiswife, Sharon, have lived in New York City since1978, just two blocks from Carnegie Hall, threefrom Lincoln Center, and all of Broadway one to12 blocks south of them.

Dan Behring ’62 and Nancy Steeno Behring ’62of Manistee, Mich., stay busy. Nancy is presidentof the Manistee County League of WomenVoters and president of the Women’s ServiceClub. She helps maintain the community butter-fly garden and is an active member of the gardenclub. She also manages a local wine-tasting andgift shop. Dan is chairperson for the OnekamaCommunity Planning Council; on the ExecutiveCouncil of their watershed; and a member of aninvasive species committee. He also teachesshort courses in leadership and management andraces on a J/29 sailing boat with a crew of six.

Ron Case ’62 of Lincoln, Neb., says that after heretired from the University of Nebraska-Lincolnas director of the environmental studies program,he ran for an elected position to the Lower Platte

South Natural Resource District. The state ofNebraska is divided into 23 districts based onwatersheds. Their responsibilities run the gamutfrom bicycle trails (outside the city) to soil andwater conservation, to urban stormwater and floodprotection. He was elected to his second term in2006 and currently serves as chair of the boardwhich consists of 21 elected directors. “It is a veryinteresting and challenging position,” Ron says. “Ithas been a nice step from the theoretical and con-ceptual in the classroom to working on, andresolving, real problems and situations.”

Anthony Wayne “Tony” Jackson ’62 of SanAntonio, Texas, retired in 2006 after a career inpackaging with Stone Container-Chicago,Georgia-Pacific and Atlanta, running packagingplants in the United States, Mexico and BuenosAires, Argentina.

Charles Frederick Osgood ’64 of Wilmette, Ill.,retired in August 2008 after nearly 39 years as aphotographer with the Chicago Tribune. Hecontinues to work as a free-lance photographer forthe Tribune and others, and he teaches atColumbia College.

David P. Schenck ’64 of Tampa, Fla., has retiredfrom the University of South Florida after 35 yearsof service. He now is Professor of BiomedicalEthics Emeritus in the Head and Neck Program atMoffitt Cancer Center. He continues to serve asethicist to the Head and Neck Program, eventhough retired.

Richard Willich ’64 of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.,has launched a personal Web site at www.richardwillich.com. Willich is known as a patriot,businessman and philanthropist, and the Web siteprovides information about his current activities,community involvement and accomplishments.He is the CEO of MDI Holdings, now St. JohnsCounty’s largest employer, and speaks publiclyabout a variety of topics that reflect his experiencegrowing up Serbian, serving as a Marine in combatand the value and obligation of philanthropy inAmerican society.

Kenneth A. von Kluck ’65 of Glencoe, Ill., isamong 120 attorneys now on staff at Howard andHoward, a Chicago business law firm combiningDefrees & Fiske LLC and Howard & HowardAttorneys PLLC. Von Kluck specializes in healthand hospital law, including advising and counsel-

1950sJune 25-27, 201055th Reunion, Class of ’55

Frank N. Brockway ’57 of Lisle, Ill., has retiredfrom the University of Illinois at Chicago. Heinitially retired in 1991 but then stayed on as apart-time consultant as manager of special projectsin telecommunications. He fully retired in 2006after 42 years of service, including being in chargeof financial affairs for the physical plant depart-ment for about 15 years, director of the campusremodeling program for about five years and man-ager of business affairs for the telecommunicationsdepartment that he helped create. “Prior to myuniversity career, I was an Army pilot (thanks tothe Ripon ROTC program) and left the serviceafter seven years with the rank of Captain,” Franksays. “Currently, I am doing a fair amount oftraveling having visited Alaska, Norway, Ireland,Germany, China and, most recently, Antarctica.Of course, the really fun stuff is visiting mydaughter and playing with my two grandchildren!And I am still singing with our local communitychorus which I have been a member of for morethan 40 years and served as president for five ofthose years. I’m sure I’m going to be asked to jointhe audience one of these years! Then there is thedaily challenge of staying healthy in order to enjoyall this retirement!”

Carolyn Scott Hudson ’58 of Dallas, Texas,taught speech pathology at the university level formany years before moving to Dallas and starting apractice with Dallas Services, a visiting nurse asso-ciation from which she retired four years ago. “Ihave been widowed for more than 10 years,” shesays. “Now I am enjoying life traveling, art classes,volunteering and walking my two dogs. No grand-children yet. My daughter works for the EPA inWashington, D.C., and my son-in law has a newnovel coming out in April. Life is very good.”

Mary Fischer Stanton ’58 of Wisconsin Dells,Wis., is retired after teaching physical educationfor 32 years at New Lisbon High School. She nowis a waitress at two local establishments.

1960sJune 25-27, 201050th Reunion, Class of ’6045th Reunion, Class of ’65

John Benka ’60 of Park Ridge, Ill., volunteers twomornings each week at the elementary school hischildren once attended. He is a volunteer aide in a

indicates a marriage or union.

indicates a birth or adoption.

Richard Willich ’64David P. Schenck ’64

22 RIPON MAGAZINE

David Fukuda ’66

Nancy Gonia Bajorek ’69 of Elmhurst, Ill.,retired from teaching in June 2008 after 25 yearswith the Elmhurst School District. She taughtspecial education at the middle school level. Sheis enjoying the freedom to travel, take classes,volunteer in the community and at ElmhurstCollege, and spend time with family and friends.

Linda Houston Cannizzo ’69 of Grafton, Wis.:“I’m enjoying retirement after many years inelementary education. I’m busy with volunteer-ing, tutoring and golf, and my husband, Samuel,and I have been part-time snowbirds in HiltonHead, S.C.”

Don Chester ’69 of West Palm Beach, Fla., wasappointed by Florida Governor Charlie Chist tothe Florida Rehabilitation Council. The council iscommitted to increasing employment, enhancingindependence and improving the quality of life forFloridians with disabilities. In June, Don receivedthe 2009 ABLE Trust Adult Leadership Award forhis community and nonprofit leadership. TheABLE Trust was created in 1990 by the FloridaLegislature to provide funding for organizationsassisting Floridians with disabilities in achievingemployment. Don and his wife, Sally, train servicedogs for people with disabilities.

ing research protection programs and institutionalreview boards. He also has experience with non-profit, charitable and tax-exempt organizations.

David Fukuda ’66 writes: “After graduation, Iintended to attend the Wharton School ofBusiness, but I decided to serve out my militaryobligation (ROTC) instead. The earliest theArmy could take me was in October 1966, atwhich time I began serving out my two-yearcommitment which included a year in Vietnam.After my discharge, my wife, Judy, and I spent twoyears at Stanford University where I received mymaster of business administration degree. Wereturned to Hawaii where we resided in Honolulufor three years before moving to Maui where wehave lived since, raising two kids in the process.

“I have worked in construction, sold tires andoffice products, and taught at a local high schoolbefore finally retiring in 2007. Our children areboth married, living in Nashville and ColoradoSprings, and have gifted us with four grandchil-dren. Much of our time is now spent visiting thegrandchildren and traveling. I am presentlyserving on the Board of the Nisei (Japanese-American) Veterans Memorial Center on Maui,working to preserve the legacy of the Niseiveterans in World War II.”

Helen Hansen ’66 of St. Paul, Minn., retired inMay 2009, “and I find that life has become evenmore interesting than I could have imagined,” shesays. “I have not looked back!” She has taken afour-day rafting trip on the Green River inColorado and Utah, as well as hiked and kayakedin the Deschuttes National Forest. She also keepsbusy with gardening, biking and reading. She is asenior warden of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral inMinneapolis, a board member of FairviewSouthdale Hospital in Edina, Minn., and amember of the Ripon College Board of Trustees.

Bruce Edward Cavitt ’67 of Prairie Village,Kan., married Cathy A. Hunt, Sept. 6, 2008.

Bruce has been a partner at Spencer Fane Britt &Browne (a 100+ lawyer firm) since 1987, havingjoined the firm after graduating from theUniversity of Kansas School of Law in 1980. “Itook retired partner status at the end of 2007 andam enjoying retirement very much,” he says. “Istill go in to the office about one day a week for acouple of hours, most weeks. My first wife (of 36years), Janie, died in 2003 of complicationsfollowing a lung transplant.”

Patricia E. Nevers ’68 of Hamburg, Germany,plans to retire from her position as professor ofbiology education at the University of HamburgOct. 1, 2010.

Patricia E. Nevers ’68

Howard Myers ’61 of Mil-waukee, Wis., can add goldmedalist to his list ofaccomplishments.

“I was raised in NewEngland where tennis was abig sport,” Myers says.“My father played tennisand took me to a court forthe first time when I was 7years old. I immediatelytook a liking to the game,and have continued to playcompetitively throughoutmy life.”

In the spring of 2009,Myers and his partner,Tom Wuethrich, a retiredteacher and tennis coach,entered and won gold in theWisconsin SeniorOlympics. This qualifiedthem to compete in August2009 in the National SeniorGames held at StandfordUniversity.

They faced some toughcompetition from across theUnited States. Despite theunusual heat of Palo Alto,Calif., Myers and his part-ner held their own. In theirfirst match, they were down1-7 in the tiebreaker, andcame back to win the set11-9. They were victoriousin their remaining threematches, thereby winning agold medal in the 64-69men’s doubles division.

“It was very satisfyingto ‘win it all’ after having

played in collegeand tournamenttennis all mylife,” Myers says.“I firmly believethat we would nothave achieved ourgoal without a lotof training priorto the games.”

Myers hasshared his love ofthe game with others. Afterteaching his wife and twosons how to play, he focusedon helping others. “Iapproached the WisconsinTennis Association (WTA)and suggested that we start aprogram for Inner Citychildren in Milwaukee whobelonged to the Boys andGirls Club,” he says.

He also helped todevelop a tennis program inWisconsin for deaf andhard-of-hearing children.Over the years, he hasexposed more than 1,500deaf and hard-of-hearingchildren to grassroots tenniswith the financial support ofthe WTA. Annual clinicshave since been held at theWisconsin School for theDeaf in Delevan, severalMilwaukee Public Schools,and a two-week summersession at the WisconsinLions Camp.

Myers majored ineconomics at Ripon and

graduatedfrom theUniversity ofWisconsinLaw School.“My Riponeducationtaught me howto think and toanalyze prob-lems andeventually

how to develop discipline inthe practice of my chosenfield of labor law,” he says.He practiced for more than38 years, representingworking people and labororganizations throughoutWisconsin. Since retire-ment, he serves as amediator regarding employ-ment and labor disputes.

Myers says he is unsurewhether he will defend histitle at the next UnitedStates Summer NationalSenior games which will beheld in Houston in 2011and Cleveland in 2013. Heenjoys reading, physicalexercise and getting togetherwith his friends. Currently,he is struggling with his golfgame! He and his wife,Elaine, have been marriedfor 44 years.

Myers would love tohear from his old friends athnmyers@wi.rr.com.

Katie Mead ’11

MYERS ’61 WINS SENIOR OLYMPIC GOLD

Howard Myers ’61

SPRING 2010 23

Don Chester ’69

School in Waterloo, where he lives about a milefrom the battlefield, and recently appeared onstage (the oldest member of the cast by about 40years!) as Chaucer in the school’s production of“The Canterbury Tales.” You can follow some ofhis travels and observations on life in Europe at:www.roblurick.blogspot.com.

Bruce L. Wickert ’75 of Greenwell Springs, La.,retired Oct. 1, 2009, as a senior staff processengineer after 31 years with Exxon Mobil. Henow is doing bike/pedestrian consulting workwith the Capital Regional Planning Commission.

Peter William Tuz ’76 of Albemarle County,Va., has been named president of ChaseInvestment Counsel, Virginia’s oldestindependent investment management firm.

Elena Kezelis ’77 of Springfield, Ill., is executivedirector of the Memorial Medical CenterFoundation in Springfield, Ill., and is responsiblefor all of the philanthropic activities of this largeteaching hospital. When she and her familymoved to Springfield from Chicago in the 1990s,they discovered that their sons’ then-newpediatrician, Dr. Terry Jones ’78, was a class-mate of Elena’s at Ripon. Terry’s daughter, AmyJones, is a member of the Class of 2009.

Harry M. Quinn ’77 of Belcamp, Md., is thedeputy division manager for the ChemicalBiological Solutions Division of ScienceApplications International Corporation (SAIC).

Lisa Wollan ’78 of Valley Forge, Pa., has beenelected vice president of the board for thePhiladelphia affiliate of Susan G. Komen for theCure, a breast cancer organization. Wollanpreviously served as secretary. She is head of con-sumer insights and brand strategy for Wawa Inc.

Stanley J. Cieslewicz ’79 is retiring from the AirForce Reserves after 12 years of service at AvianoAir Base in Italy.

Thomas James Hinrichsen ’79 of Woodbridge,Va., now is a senior financial analyst withParadigm Technologies Inc., a privately ownedcompany providing financial managementservices to government agencies. It’s based inArlington, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C.Tom supports the Department of HomelandSecurity and the Missile Defense Agency.

1970sJune 25-27, 201040th Reunion, Class of ’7035th Reunion, Class of ’75

Jean K. Lederer ’73 of Bonita Springs, Fla., hasmade two trips to Bulembu, Swaziland, on missiontrips with a friend. They work in a dayare centerfor 2- to 6-year-olds whose parents work. In mostcases these children would be “home alone” withno adult supervision for hours. Swaziland has themost cases of AIDS in the world, and many thou-sands of the children are orphans. She now ishelping to raise funds so that 6-year-olds comingout of the daycare center can be educated at thelocal Christian Academy, a superior education tothe local school. The first year they supported 13children. Last year, they supported 19 children.

Cheryl Teschendorf Perry ’73 of Bethel, NB,Canada, retired last year as Provincial Supervisorof HEAR after 30 years on Prince Edward Island.She has started a second career teaching childrenwith hearing loss in District 10, New Brunswick.

Deborah Williams ’73 of Bowie, Md., is aconsultant to the U.S. Department of Educationserving as a reviewer for grants competitions. Shealso consults with a neighborhood high school inimplementing their reform program, and with anelementary school establishing a mentoringprogram for young ladies. She also helped themreceive a foundation grant to extend thementoring program into the summer vacationperiod for the young men.

Mark Stewart Chevalier ’74 of Annandale, Va.,owns Chevalier Photography LLC.

Janice Petrovski MacLeod ’74 of Clarendon Hills,Ill., graduated Dec. 20, 2009, from the Universityof Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a master’s degree inlibrary and information studies.

Rick Estberg ’75 is a Department of Defensesenior intelligence adviser, currently halfwaythrough a three-year stint at NATO Headquartersin Brussels, Belgium. He works on an internationalstaff of 30 people, representing 22 countries. He’staken every advantage to travel and has visited 11European countries during this tour; highlightcities have been Prague, Rome and Paris. Earlierthis year, he received recognition for 35 years offederal government service. He volunteers in thedrama department at St. John’s International

1980sJune 25-27, 201030th Reunion, Class of ’8025th Reunion, Class of ’85

Jerry M. Hardacre II ’81 of Racine, Wis., ischairman of the Department of Surgery atWheaton Franciscan Medical Group-South. Hisson, Jerry III “Jay” is a junior at Ripon.

David Janssen ’81 of Oshkosh, Wis., a board-certified plastic surgeon with Fox Valley PlasticSurgery, and a member of Ripon College’s Boardof Trustees, has been elected to associate member-ship status in The Rhinoplasty Society, a non-profit, worldwide organization dedicated to theopen exchange of innovative ideas and techniquesconcerning rhinoplastic surgery. He is the onlysurgeon in Wisconsin to be elected to the society.

Gary Morrow ’82 of San Luis Obispo, Calif., ispresident of Yosemite Asset Management LLC, aregistered investment advisory firm. He managesindividual accounts through Charles Schwab andruns a long/short hedge fund. Prior to formingYosemite, Morrow spent 12 years on the floor ofthe Chicago Mercantile Exchange trading foreigncurrency and interest rate futures. He alsocontributes financial articles to Real Money onthestreet.com.

James Joseph Mendyke Jr. ’83 of Stevens Point,Wis., retired in June 2008 from Sentry Insuranceafter 25 years of service. He was a senior consumerproducts specialist.

Janet Krueger Matsubara ’84 of Burlington,Mass., is the laboratory manager at OxfordDiagnostic Laboratories in Marlborough, Mass.

D.C. Ramsay McLauchlan ’84 of Madeira Beach,Fla., is clearance manager at Home ShoppingNetwork. He also is staying active in politics,serving as the chair of the Pinellas CountyDemocratic Party.

Beth Bruestle Shanahan ’84 of Omaha, Neb.,teaches Spanish at Marian High School.

Suzanne E. Eskola ’86 of Middleton, Wis., isretired from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.After serving for more than 15 years, she retired asa detective sergeant. She now is a sales agent withAmerican National Insurance Co. in Waunakee,Wis.

Lisa Wollan ’78Bruce L. Wickert ’75Cheryl TeschendorfPerry ’73

Deborah Williams ’73 Rick Estberg ’75

24 RIPON MAGAZINE

David Janssen ’81

classes plus clinicals. She then worked as a regis-tered nurse at Johns Hopkins. “Currently, I ambusy being a new mom,” she writes. “On Nov. 21,2009, my husband (David) and I became theproud parents of Max Allen Bizot. Just prior to hisarrival, we relocated to Ann Arbor, Mich. We areenjoying our new home and extended family.”

Kristie Raupp Bugenhagen ’94 of Waukesha,Wis., is an oncology technical sales specialist withPrometheus Therapeutics and Diagnostics.

Gebriel Miller Lefeber ’94 and JasonLefeber ’96 of Sun Prairie, Wis., have a

daughter, Rebekah Naomi Lefeber, born July 3,2009.

Kevin Douglas Pratt ’94 of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.,has been promoted to lab supervisor at AbbottLaboratories. His wife, Ashleigh Henrichs ’94, isdirector of Children’s Ministry at St. Mary’sLutheran Church in Kenosha, Wis.

Jason R. Brooks ’95 of Hillside, Ill., is chaplain ofthe Chicago chapter of the Lumen Institute, aleadership training organization (www.lumeninstitute.org). There also are chapters in NewYork, Atlanta, Dallas and Washington, D.C.

Jon M. Kaminski ’95 of Mooresville, N.C., isa manager in the Supply Chain - PLM prac-

tice with Accenture LLP. He has been married toChristine L. Elekes Kaminski since Sept. 5, 2006.

Lorie Stellmacher Simms ’95 and her hus-band, Peter, of Tempe, Ariz., have a daugh-

ter, Ruby Elizabeth Simms, born Aug. 11, 2009.

Steven E. Martin ’96 and Michelle ToutloffMartin ’98 of Ripon, Wis., have a son,

Kellan Reed Martin, born Feb. 3, 2010.

Carey Ann Molinski ’96 of Oshkosh, Wis., com-pleted her master of arts degree in professionalcounseling from Liberty University Dec. 29, 2009.

Mike Guenther ’97 and Jessi KoflerGuenther ’97 of Kirkland, Wash., have a

son, Graham Roman Guenther, born Oct. 22,2009.

Brooke Husbands ’97 of Rowley, Mass.,married Aaron Emmerich, July 11, 2009.

Brooke works at Candlewick Press as Book Club &Subsidiary Rights Sales Manager, responsible forsubsidiary rights and book club sales, as well as forsales of UK territory rights.

Matthew C. Keller ’87 ofRancho Palos Verdes, Calif., ispresident of Voion NorthAmerica, a retail packagingand supply chain business.

David G. Olenchek ’87 ofBrookfield, Wis., is chair of themath department at Arrow-head High School in Hartland,Wis.

Peter J. Sausen ’87 of DeForest, Wis., is global vice pres-ident of Program ManagementServices for Covance Laboratories Inc. Covance isa multi-national drug development company spe-cializing in helping clients bring new drugs to themarket. It offers a wide range of support for drugdevelopment needs, whether it be in the area ofdrug discovery, conduct of clinical trials orregulatory submissions. Peter’s group, ProgramManagement Services, works primarily with smalland emerging pharmaceutical companies whichdon’t have internal resources to evaluate the safetyand efficacy of their potential new drugs.

Steven “Zev” Barnett ’88 of Centennial, Colo., isbusiness development manager for EarthstreamGlobal in Denver. EarthStream provides energyand earth sciences recrutiment services globally.

Matt Kittell ’88 and his wife, Cathy, of York,Pa., have a daughter, Corinne Amelia

Kittell, born June 10, 2009.

Calvin James Bergman ’89 of Madison, Wis., isnow the associate director of residence life atUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.

John Henry Mathews ’89 of Riverside, Ill., is aprofessional risk manager with Mayer Brown LLP.

1990sJune 25-27, 201020th Reunion, Class of ’9015th Reunion, Class of ’95

Christine M. Wiedmeyer ’90 of Lancaster, Pa.,now works as a staff audiologist at the VA MedicalCenter in Coatsville, Pa.

Laurie Mueller Dziekan ’91 of Random Lake,Wis., has been promoted to senior business analystat Acuity’s corporate headquarters in Sheboygan,Wis.

Karl G. Feld ’91 of Clayton, N.C., owns thesurvey service company People Chasers. The com-pany was selected for the 2009 Best of BusinessAward in the Survey Service: Locating category bythe Small Business Commerce Association. Theawards recognize the top 5 percent of smallbusinesses throughout the country using consumerfeedback.

Laura Kreofsky ’91 of Madison, Wis., is thedirector of research at Impact Advisors, a health-

care IT consulting firm that has been theindustry leader in health IT strategy and plan-ning for the past two years. It was voted the BestSmall Consulting Firm to Work For (across allindustries, nationwide) in 2009.

Karen Kaull Weiss ’91 of Salt Lake City, Utah,has been promoted to executive director of Tourof Utah, a well-respected cycling event. Shepreviously served as chief operating officer andthen deputy director from 2006-2009.

Randall Dean Wickman ’91 of Fort LeonardWood, Mo., was promoted to LieutenantColonel and is commanding 2nd Battalion, 10thInfantry at Fort Leonard Wood.

Heather Klitzke Wiseman ’91 of Aiken, S.C.,teaches Spanish at Westminster Schools ofAugusta.

Brenda Billerbeck Bauske ’92 of Tomball,Texas, is an adjunct instructor of German atLone Star College-Tomball and a teacher at theHouston German Saturday School.

Craig S. Bleeker ’92 and Amy Butler’95 were married May 1, 2006. They

live in Wayzata, Minn., and have a daughter,Lillian Grace Bleeker, born June 18, 2009. Craigis employed with Best Buy and Amy works forthe State of Minnesota Public Defender’s Office.

Kenneth A. Larsen ’92 and Jodi PiotrowskiLarsen ’94 of Waunakee, Wis., own ExelTransportation, a third-party logistics company.

Sara N. Colburn-Alsop ’93 of New Whiteland,Ind., who teaches at Franklin College, has beenrecognized by the Indiana Foreign LanguageTeachers Association as the Spanish Professor ofthe Year in Indiana. She also was recognized bythe Indiana Chapter of the AmericanAssociation of Teachers of Spanish andPortuguese as the Outstanding College Professorof Spanish in Indiana.

Brian Marquardt ’93 of Seattle, Wash., is aresearch professor and senior engineer in theApplied Physics Laboratory at the University ofWashington.

Paula Souik Bizot ’94 of Ann Arbor,Mich., received her bachelor’s of science

degree in nursing from Johns Hopkins Universityin July 2008. It was an accelerated program forpeople with prior degrees, so it took only 13.5months to complete four semesters’ worth of

Karl G. Feld ’91 Laura Kreofsky ’91 Randall DeanWickman ’91

Sara N.Colburn-Alsop ’93

Jon M. Kaminski ’95

SPRING 2010 25

is co-driver and mechanic with Griffin Racing andpresident of Progressive Energy Technologies.

2000sJune 25-27, 200910th Reunion, Class of ’005th Reunion, Class of ’05

Timothy Michael Barber ’00 of Fitchburg,Wis., married Sarah C. Walkenhorst, Oct. 24,

2009. Pat Casey ’00, Andre Miksha ’00, MichaelLaupan ’99 and Michael Barber ’02 were in thewedding party. Justice Jon Wilcox ’58 attended andspoke at the reception. Tim is a senior associateattorney with Axley Brynelson LLP, Madison. HisAxley page can be viewed at www.axley.com.

Camille Carlson Clemons ’00 and her hus-band, Rick, of Fox River Grove, Ill., have a

Joseph Kroncke ’97 and Erica SmithKroncke ’98 of Neenah, Wis., have a son,

Jack Gordon Kroncke, born May 21, 2009.

Sonja Lee ’97 of Milwaukee married CaseyMeehan, Oct. 10, 2009, in Milwaukee.

Bradley W. “Koz” Kozaczuk ’98 of Fond du Lac,Wis., is the running back/linebacker footballcoach at Oshkosh North High School. Hepreviously served as head coach for two years atFond du Lac High School.

Stacie H. Hackel ’99 of Cincinnati, Ohio,married Michael Snow, Sept. 26, 2009.

Hunter Russell, son of Tara Engel Russell ’99 andTim Russell ’00, was the ring bearer.

Adam Martin Schrieber ’99 of East Troy, Wis.,teaches fourth grade at St. Peter’s School in EastTroy.

James Nicholas Willich ’99 of Livingston, Mont.,

son, Flynn Patrick Clemons, born Nov. 28, 2009.

Chad Marcus Cleveland ’00 of Hazel Green,Wis., married Mandy Hopfensperger, June

18, 2009. After Ripon, Chad received a bachelor’sdegree in art education/certification fromLawrence University. He teaches high school artat Southwestern Community School District inHazel Green. He also coaches football and in 2007was part of the team that was the Division 7runner-up. Chad’s artwork can be viewed atwww.custom-metal-creations.com.

Charles Leroy Larson III ’00 and KerstenHolm Larson ’00 of Wauwatosa, Wis., have

a son, Charles LeRoy Larson IV, born Nov. 6,2009.

Erin Brooke Vasconcelles ’00 of Nashville,Tenn., has received a doctorate in 2008 fromBowling Green State University. Her dissertationtopic was, “Social Networks of NCAA Division ICollege Athletes: Relationships Between NetworkStructure, Personal Goal Orientation and Well-

As a composer, SteveRashid ’79 of Evanston,Ill., has had his musicfeatured through a multi-tude of different outlets,including televisionnetworks A&E, Bio, theHistory Channel,Weather Channel,Animal Planet, Discov-ery and OLN. His worksalso have been mentionedin Billboard, Varietyand the New YorkTimes, and featured onthe “Today Show” ontelevision.

Rashid received hisbachelor of arts in musicand philosophy fromRipon and a master’sdegree in music composi-tion from NorthwesternUniversity. He thenfounded WoodsideAvenue Music Produc-tion, which offers musiccomposition, arrange-ment, performanceproduction and recording.The company, namedafter the street on whichhe grew up in Ripon, isalso a record label.

Most recently, Rashidcomposed the score forthe documentary “Lostand Found: Legacy ofUSS Lagarto.” Theprogram originally airedon public television inWisconsin, Illinois andMissouri, and will beshown on PBS stationsnationwide beginning inMay 2010. The USSLagarto was a submarinebuilt by the ManitowocShipbuilding Co. duringWorld War II. The shipsank during her secondwar patrol with 86 menaboard. The submarinewas missing for 60 yearsbefore being found in2005 on the bottom ofthe Sea of Thailand.

The documentary fea-tures the dive to explorethe Lagarto, excerptsfrom interviews with crewmembers’ relatives, andfirst-hand battle experi-ences recalled by sub vet-erans – and, of course,the wonderful musicalscore.

“I enjoyed the chal-

lenge of creatingmusic thatreflected differenthistorical peri-ods,” Rashid says,“as well as verydifferent locations— Manitowoc,Wis., to thebottom of the Seaof Thailand.”

Growing up so nearto Manitowoc also playeda role in Rashid’sexperience with thedocumentary.

“I found ‘Lagarto’not only an interestingand powerful story, butthe fact that much of ittook place very close towhere I grew up — I ama Ripon native — made itthat much more relat-able,” Rashid says.

The score of“Lagarto” won Rashid hisfirst Emmy (Chicago/Midwest Emmys) inNovember for Outstand-ing Achievement for Indi-vidual Excellence OffCamera: Composition/Arrangement.

RA S H I D ’79 DO C U M E N T SSC E N E S O F L I F E TH R O U G H H I S MU S I C

Rashidalso performsregularly inChicago, andrecentlylaunched anonline musicsite, CaféUnderscore(cafeunderscore.com).

This project grew out of about with writer’s block.

“One day while com-posing in a coffee shopand faced with a block,out of pure whimsy andself-amusement, Ifocused on a fellow in thecafé,” Rashid says. “Andthought to myself, ‘Whatif my job was to under-score him?’ In otherwords, I picked someonein the room, imaginedwho he was, or themoment he was experi-encing, and tried to scorethat image. Kind of likemaking an artist’s sketch,but with music.”

The Web site featuresmusical portraits ofpeople, opening up a

whole new interpretationof the picture andanswering the question: Iflife were actually scenesin a movie, what wouldthe underscore — themusic under the scenes— sound like?

Rashid says he owesmuch of his confidence inhis musical abilities to hisprofessors and experi-ences at Ripon.

“My philosophy majortaught me so much aboutcritical thinking, logicalanalysis and problem-solving that still serve medaily,” he says. “Andthanks to a supportivemusic faculty of RayStahura, Don Cuthbert,Donald Spies and DougMorris, I left Ripon notonly with strong musicaltraining, but a belief inmy own abilities as amusician and composer.”

Alyssa Paulsen ’10Paulsen is a seniorcommunication major fromWinneconne, Wis.

26 RIPON MAGAZINE

Steve Rashid ’79

Being Correlates.” She is a licensed psychologistpracticing at Vanderbilt University Psychologicaland Counseling Center in Nashville.

Lisa Sharpe Elles ’01 of Lawrence, Kan., is anassistant professor of chemistry at WashburnUniversity in Topeka, Kan. She teachesbiochemistry lecture and lab plus a comprehensivegeneral-organic-biological chemistry course fornursing students.

Gail Gitcho ’01, formerly the national press secre-tary for the Republican National Committee, nowis communications director for U.S. Senator-electScott Brown’s Washington, D.C., office. “Gail isan experienced communications professional whois well-known to the national and Washingtonpress corps and has a reputation for being fair andresponsive to reporters,” Brown said.

Michael Barber ’02 married MarlaenaSchnitzler, March 29, 2008. They live

in Big Bend, Wis., and they have a son, MatthewDonald Daniel Barber, born Sept. 10, 2009.

Katherine Frances Brophy ’02 and MaryWilk were registered as domestic partners

Aug. 14, 2009, in the office of the Dane CountyRegister of Deeds during a blessing ceremony forseven couples at the Wisconsin Capital Rotunda.They live in Madison, Wis., where Katherine is acooperator with Community PharmacyCooperative.

Joshua J. De War ’02 of Ripon, Wis., earned adoctorate in educational administration andleadership from Marian University, Fond du Lac,Wis., on Dec. 19, 2009. Josh previously wasdirector of residence life at Ripon College.

Julie Ann Hansen ’02 of Minneapolis,Minn., married Justin Marchant, Sept. 11,

2009. Julie works for Best Buy in the Dotcomdepartment, optimizing the Cart, Checkout, Gift-ing and My Account experiences on Bestbuy.com.

Jessica Rosen Lively ’02 and her husband,Douglas, of Arlington, Wash., have a son,

David Jonathan Lively, born Oct. 23, 2009.

Erin Nelson Pues ’02 and her husband,Ryan, of Appleton, Wis., have a daughter,

Aubrey Ellen Pues, born Dec. 30, 2009. Erin is achild care coordinator with the YMCA of the FoxCities.

Heather Braund ’03 of Madison, Wis.,married Eric Kotleski, July 18, 2009.

Michael Isaac David ’03 of Portage, Wis.,married Kathryn Beuchner, Nov. 28, 2009.

Mike O’Neill ’04 and Adam Field ’04 were in thewedding party. The couple live in Portage.

April Leigh Dunlavy ’03 opened her own law officein Clintonville, Wis., in February 2010.

Matthew Gehring ’03 of Minneapolis, Minn.,graduated with a law degree and master’s degree inpublic policy from the University of Minnesota in2006. He works as a non-partisan staff attorney/leg-islative analyst for the Minnesota House ofRepresentatives, specializing in civil law andelections issues. In his spare time, he runs as amember of the Slab City Running Company, a localamateur competitive running club.

William W. Kalkhoff ’03 of Mogadore, Ohio, hasbeen promoted to associate professor of sociology atKent State University.

Toni Dahlin Knorr ’03 of Eden Prairie, Minn., isthe donor relations coordinator at the MinneapolisHeart Institute Foundation.

Timothy James Krueger ’03 of Richmond, Va., is adata analyst with Capital One.

Katherine Morrissey Stahl ’03 of Winterville, Ga.,is teaching public speaking and interpersonalcommunication at the University of Georgia.

Britt K. Steiger ’03 married David Frank,Nov. 14, 2009. They live in Cedarburg, Wis.

After receiving her master’s degree in creativewriting from Minnesota State University-Mankatoin 2008, Britt has been working at David FrankLandscape Contracting Inc. in Germantown, Wis.

Sarah Peerenboom Vicari ’03 of Fox Lake, Ill., is adermatology physician’s assistant at NorthSuburban Dermatology Associates in Gurnee, Ill.

Elizabeth Anne Zirk ’03 of San Francisco, Calif., isworking with a co-op which supports fearless entre-preneurs. She will be an operational board memberof Young Women Social Entrepreneurs in 2010.

Christopher A. Dumke ’04 and NicoleGutbrod ’06 were married Aug. 8, 2009. They

live in Princeton, Wis. Chris is a loanrepresentative for National Exchange Bank &Trust, and Nicole is a credit analyst for NationalExchange Bank & Trust.

Nicholas Adam Spaeth ’04 and his wife,Briana, of Plymouth, Wis., have a daughter,

Claire Marie Spaeth, born Oct. 12, 2009.

Christopher Jay Thode ’04 of Madison, Wis.,completed a doctorate in chemistry at Penn StateUniversity in February 2009. April 1, 2009, hebegan as a postdoctoral associate in the chemicaland biological engineering department atUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.

Katrina Grasley Van Gompel ’04 of Berlin, Wis., isa buyer at Miles Kimball Co. in Oshkosh, Wis.

Ivy C. Wagner ’04 of Minneapolis, Minn., ispursuing a dual master’s degree in holistic health

studies and social work at St. Catherine and St.Thomas Universities.

Stefanie Megan Kline ’05 of La Crosse, Wis.,received her master’s of business administration,Dec. 19, 2009, from Viterbo University in LaCrosse, Wis. She has been nannying for the pastfew years for a 4-year-old and 6-month-old. Shecompleted her master’s thesis using the topic ofhow families determine childcare preferences andthe awareness of nannies and placement agenciesin the area. Stefanie plans on taking additionalmarketing classes or enrolling in the doctorateprogram at Viterbo to be a business professor orconsultant, while also looking for marketing andbrand management positions across the UnitedStates.

Leah Sievert Lubinski ’05 of Del Mar, Calif., is aVA volunteer service coordinator with theAmerican Red Cross. She was a volunteer devel-opment associate from June 2008 to October 2009.

Cory John McEwen ’05 of Milwaukee, Wis., is ahealth and physical education teacher atMilwaukee Northwest Secondary School. He willbe coaching varsity baseball for the second year atMilwaukee Madison High School. He also hasbeen coaching 6th- and 7th-grade basketball forthe past three years and is the head middle schoolflag football coach at Northwest. In the summer,he is a WIAA umpire for baseball.

Amanda Zahn ’05 of Ripon, Wis., wasmarried to Eric J. Przybyl, Oct. 17, 2009, by

President David Joyce. Amanda is the assistantdirector of conference and contract services atRipon College.

Andrew Jason Beswick ’06 of Oconomowoc,Wis., is assistant manager at the OconomowocDevelopmental Training Center. He has startedgraduate school at Cardinal Stritch University forhis master’s degree in clinical psychology.

Michelle Ann Calder ’06 of Menasha, Wis., is alicensed funeral director with Westgor FuneralHome in Neenah, Wis.

Stephanie Helen Chacharon ’06 of Seattle,Wash., is marketing manager at XtremeConsulting Group Inc. She also is enrolled in amaster’s program through Utah State Universityand is working toward a master’s degree in Englishwith a specialization in technical writing.

Alisha Gard ’06 of San Francisco, Calif., teachesin the K-1 room at an after-school Kids’ CountrySchool in San Ramon, Calif.

Ryan Jahns ’07 of Madison, Wis., has beenpromoted to field examiner with First BusinessCapital Corp. in Madison. He joined the firm inDecember 2007 after an internship at FirstBusiness Bank-Northeast. He previously was acollateral analyst.

Adam Krueger ’07 of Brookline, Mass., is a senioraccount analyst for the College of Arts andSciences at Boston University. He is working on amaster’s degree in advertising there.

Tylor S. Loest ’07 of Brandon, Wis., is a develop-

Gail Gitcho ’01Lisa Sharpe Elles ’01

SPRING 2010 27

ment associate for planned and major giving in theadvancement office of Ripon College. Hecontinues his work at the Brandon Public Library,overseeing children’s reading programs, andbuilding restoration and community outreachprograms. In 2009, he became the library directorwhere he and the library board created a nationaland state historic library with a 40-percentincrease in library usage.

Danielle Elizabeth Paiz ’07 of Corpus Christi,Texas, has been promoted to executive director ofthe Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Arthur Ward Bratton ’08 of Ripon, Wis., hasbeen promoted to vice president of production atVideo Age Productions Inc.

Alysha Lyn Ebert ’08 of Cedarburg, Wis., is alibrary assistant at Bayside Middle School.

Ruth Ann Lawrence ’08 of Appleton, Wis., is apersonal care worker at Agape of Appleton Inc.

Amanda Beers ’08 ofJanesville, Wis., is servingin Afghanistan, but herpressure under fire startedbefore she even left theUnited States. She was inthe room at the time of themass shooting at Fort Hoodin Texas Nov. 5, 2009.The rampage killed 13 peo-ple and wounded 30 others.

“Talking about whathappened at Fort Hood isstill a touchy subject as it hitclose to heart and tookmany of my good friendsand colleagues away fromme forever,” Beers says.“Not only is deploymentstressful enough, my unitgot torn apart within onlyhours once arriving at FortHood after a three-weekexercise in California.”

Beers assisted in tendingto wounded and deceasedsoldiers, then was even fur-ther traumatized by beinglocked up in that samebuilding for hours after theevent took place.

“Once the unit wasreunited the next morning,many tears were shed and

mourning overthose we learnedto love wasshared,” she says.“Overall, itbrought everyonein the unit closerand we learned tocherish each day,as those we hadhoped to be withfor the next yearwould no longer be with usto enjoy together.

“For me personally, Ihave learned to grow as anindividual and as a soldier. Ifill in for my commanderwhen she is not present andfulfill all my duties as theexecutive officer (XO),above and beyond my initialduties.”

Beers’ unit has been inAfghanistan for more thanthree months. She says theunit had to start fromscratch as it is the firstCombat Stress/BehavioralHealth unit in the country.

“Our patient/workloadis increasing weekly butkeeping us busy and on ourtoes,” she says. “We have

teams spreadthroughoutAfghanistan,helping outCoalitionForces andmaking greatimpact inBehavioralHealth.

“As forme, I have

been busy doing everythingfrom setting up computerand phone connections, totracking team and personnellocations, to puttingtogether our unit newsletter.As for relieving stress, westarting a running club atmy Forward OperatingBase (FOB) and puttogether races. So far, Ihave run in only two races,but my biggest accomplish-ment was completing myfirst half marathon andplacing second overall forthe females.

“Although I am enjoyingthis experience, I can’t waitto get home and spend somemuch needed time withfamily and friends.”

BEERS ’08 BRAVES ACTIONIN FORT HOOD, AFGHANISTAN

Amanda Beers ’08

Brandon Parrott-Sheffer ’08 of Chicago, Ill., is inthe master’s of business administration program atLoyola University in Chicago.

Alexander Eugene Royzen ’08 of Evanston, Ill., is amerchandising specialist at OpticsPlanet Inc. Hisjob involves inventory management, Web siteoptimization, brand management, price setting andsearch engine optimization.

Harrison James Smith ’08 of Milwaukee, Wis., is acompensation analyst with Bucyrus InternationalInc. in Milwaukee.

Colette M. Unger ’08 of Chicago, Ill., is anassistant teacher at Francis W. Parker School and amembership sales representative at Lincoln ParkZoo. She is also a free-lance actor.

Perfecto Felipe Diaz III ’09 of Chicago, Ill., is aneducation intern at the American TheatreCompany in Chicago and a student at Second City.

Nicole Rae Franz ’09 of West Chicago, Ill., is a

If you are aware of a Ripon College alumnus who haspassed away, please send that information along with aprinted obituary from the paper to the Office of AlumniRelations, Annual Fund and Parent Programs, RiponCollege, PO Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971.

A HAPPY RETRACTIONTherese Des Lauriers ’78 of Golden Valley,Minn., is alive! Because of an erroneous reportreceived by the College and a published obituaryfor a woman with a nearly identical name from thesame timeframe, Therese, known as “Trees” to herfriends, was reported deceased in the Fall 2007issue of Ripon Magazine. We are happy to affirmthat Therese still is alive and well.

Helen Wells Cooke ’33 of Kirkland, Wash., diedDec. 5, 2009. At Ripon, Helen studied music andSpanish and was a member of Alpha Chi Omega,known as the Lyle House. She was elected toTheta Alpha Phi the national drama fraternity.Helen held Ripon close to her heart throughouther life and was a charter member of Partners inthe Legacy. She was an active volunteer in everycommunity she lived in. She was retired fromCooke Sales Co. Survivors include one son andone daughter.

Margaret E. Treleven Baker-Novitske ’35 ofEvanston, Ill., died Nov. 1, 2009. She was bornMarch 27, 1914, in Fond du Lac, Wis. At Ripon,she was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sororityand majored in English, Latin American studiesand history. She received a bachelor’s degree fromthe University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1935.She continued her studies at NorthwesternUniversity and Peabody Teachers College. Formany years, she taught English and Latin at L.P.Goodrich High School in Fond du Lac, retiring in1976. She participated in and supported manylocal and statewide organizations, including a stintas president of the Fond du Lac County HistoricalSociety; work in acquiring the Galloway familyhome and other vintage buildings and developingthe village as a major local tourist attraction of theHistorical Society; and service as chair of two statehistory associations. In 1961, Margaret was the

Obituariesobituaries

28 RIPON MAGAZINE

director of youth ministry at St. Matthew’s UnitedChurch of Christ in Wheaton, Ill.

Joshua Dalhauser Frey ’09 of Racine, Wis., isstationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., at the U.S.Army Chemical School for officer training. Aftergraduation, he will be stationed with the 3rdArmored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas.

Elizabeth Ann Kunde ’09 of Wauwatosa, Wis., isa communications specialist with Alliance forChildren and Families, a nonprofit memberservices organization for child- and family-servingorganizations. About 300 members throughout thecountry range from very small agencies to BoysTown. Liz is responsible for the bi-weeklye-newsletter that goes out to all members, andassists with the magazine and Web site.

Worthy Grand Matron of the Order of EasternStar for the State of Wisconsin. She was a memberof the First Presbyterian Church of Fond du Lac,the American Association of University Womenand Daughters of the American Revolution.Margaret served several terms on the Fond du LacCounty Board of Supervisors, was an avid readerand traveler, and loved quilting, gardening andantiquing. Survivors include a daughter.

George S. Peck ’41 of Alexandria, Va., died Jan.12, 2010. At Ripon, he majored in biology andwas a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Heenlisted in the Army shortly after the bombing ofPearl Harbor and fought through German forcesfrom the tip of Italy all the way to the border ofsouthern France. His accomplishments earned hima battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant, twoawards of the Silver Star, three awards of theBronze Star Medal and three awards of the PurpleHeart. In 1948, he transferred to the newly formedU.S. Air Force. After serving in a number of intel-ligence positions, Col. Peck retired from the AirForce in 1968 as a Lieutenant Colonel and an offi-cer with the Defense Intelligence Agency. His lastpost was at the Pentagon, writing and editing themorning report for members of the Joint Chiefs ofStaff. He then joined Honeywell International as asales representative for its security and alarmssystems division, helping to design security systemssolutions for businesses across the country. Heretired from Honeywell in 1982. Survivors includehis wife, Victoria, 5526 Hershey Lane, Alexandria,VA 22312; one son; one daughter; and a sister,Patricia Peck Perry ’43.

Lloyd P. Williams ’42 of Appleton, Wis., diedFeb. 27, 2010. He was born Oct. 30, 1920, inMilwaukee. At Ripon, he was a member of SigmaChi. He received his medical training at theUniversity of Wisconsin Medical School in 1944.He interned at Milwaukee Hospital and served asa resident and chief resident physician atMilwaukee Children’s Hospital. He was a memberof the American Board of Pediatrics, the Ameri-can Academy of Pediatrics, the OutagamieCounty Medical Society and the AmericanMedical Association. He was the first pediatricianin the Fox Cities, coming to Appleton fromHartford, Conn., in October 1948. He was in pri-vate practice through 1955, then joined the Med-ical Arts Clinic. He was one of the first physiciansin the area to use the Salk vaccine. He retiredfrom the LaSalle Clinic in 1992. He belonged tothe Inland Bird-Banding Association. He was amember of the Welsh-American Society andCymdeithas Madog, learning the language of hisWelsh ancestors, and of Memorial PresbyterianChurch. He enjoyed reading. Survivors include hiswife, Jane, 845 E. College Ave., Appleton, WI54911; three sons and one daughter.

Edward J. Cheetham ’43 of Los Angeles, Calif.,died Feb. 26, 2010. He was born Nov. 1, 1921, inMilwaukee. He studied biology at Ripon, was amember of Theta Chi and was commissioned as anofficer through the ROTC program. He served inthe U.S. Army in World War II. He attendedUniversity of California-Los Angeles and earned ateaching credential, following with a master’sdegree from Califronia State University, LosAngeles, in education and administration. Heserved as a teacher and administrator with the Los

Angeles Unified School District for 38 years. Edparticipated in many civic charity and service orga-nizations. He was the Scout Master of Troop #779in Westchester from 1948 to 1960. He was a mem-ber of the Airport International Optimist Club, theSanta Monica Elks No. 906 and the WestchesterMasonic Lodge No. 529. For more than 50 years, hewas a member of the Railway and LocomotiveHistorical Society, serving as treasurer and on theBoard of Directors. Survivors include his wife, MaryJane, 6006 Wooster Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90056.

Frederick Lindeke “Mac” McNee ’45 of Wayzata,Minn., died May 21, 2009. At Ripon, he was amember of Phi Delta Theta and played football. Hefondly remembered being lined up his first day ofpractice with a fellow named “Tiny.” “Tiny” wenton to play for the Green Bay Packers while Macstudied art at Minneapolis School of Art andDesign. Mac served his country during World WarII and had a long career at TPI until retirement.Survivors include his wife, June, 18275 HighlandAve., Wayzata, MN 55391; one son and twodaughters.

Lorraine J. Flaherty ’47 of La Crosse, Wis., diedJan. 25, 2010. She was born Jan. 15, 1925, in TwoRivers, Wis. She attended Ripon for two years andwas a member of Alpha Phi. She received herbachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her master’s degree in English from theUniversity of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She taughtEnglish and drama at Viterbo University andEnglish composition at UW-La Crosse for 23 years.She was a member of the League of Women Voters,the Democratic Party and American Association ofUniversity Women. Survivors include her husband,Daniel, 1925 King St., La Crosse, WI 54601; oneson and three daughters.

Paul Owen Dudey ’48 of Boynton Beach, Fla., diedMarch 21, 2009. He was born Aug. 24, 1924. AtRipon, he studied economics and was active inCollege Days, theatre and Lambda Delta Alpha.Paul was associated with the insurance industry formore than 50 years. He was a long-time author andeditor of articles in Adjustors International’stechnical property insurance publication AdjustingToday. For more than two decades, he was associateeditor of The Fire, Casualty and Surety (FC&S)Bulletins, published by The National UnderwriterCompany. Earlier in his career, he had worked as arisk analyst, underwriter and broker. Survivorsinclude his wife, Beverly Rosenthal Dudey ’50,2319 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, FL 33426;two sons; one daughter, a brother, David Dudey’48; and a sister-in-law, Shirley Benoy Dudey ’49.

Gerald E. “Jerry” Johnson ’50 of Waupun, Wis.,died Dec. 1, 2009. He was born Dec. 16, 1928, inWaupun. He attended Ripon for one year and par-ticipated in ROTC. Jerry was a mail carrier for theU.S. Postal Service. Upon his retirement, he livedin Neshkoro, Wis. He then returned to Waupun.He was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Churchand the National Association of Letter Carriers. Heenjoyed sports and his place in the wild where hecould feed the turkey and deer. Survivors includeone son.

William C. “Bill” Steaffens ’50 of Stoughton,Wis., died Dec. 20, 2009. He was born May 20,1926, in Berlin, Wis. At Ripon, he studied history

and was a member of Theta Sigma Tau. Bill servedhis country in the Navy in the Pacific Theaterduring World War II and in the Aleutians duringthe Korean Conflict. He worked for 34 years as agas construction engineer for Wisconsin Powerand Light in Portage, Fond du Lac and Madison.He was a past master of the Kegonsa MasonicLodge No. 73 and served in many other offices,including secretary/treasurer for 16 years. He was apast patron of the Venus Chapter No. 61 of East-ern Star, served on the Stoughton HousingAuthority for almost 25 years and was Scout Mas-ter of Troop 12 (712) in Fond du Lac for 19 years.Bill was awarded the Silver Beaver for service tothe Boy Scouts, led National Jamboree Troops toValley Forge in 1964, Idaho in 1969 and Iowa in1973, and received various other Scouting awards.Bill was a member of Stoughton United MethodistChurch and the Four Lakes Amateur Radio Club.Survivors include his wife, Patricia JenkinsSteaffens ’53, 904 Skogdalen Drive, Stoughton,WI 53589; one son and two daughters, includingDebra A. Steaffens ’76.

Kenneth H. Schermacher ’51 of West Bend, Wis.,died July 25, 2009. At Ripon, he studied biology,was a member of Merriman/Phi Kappa Pi, and par-ticipated in athletics. He earned a master’s degreein guidance and counseling from the University ofWisconsin-Madison. He was a high school psy-chologist until his retirement in 1990. Survivorsinclude his wife, Wanda, 831 Beverly Lane, WestBend, WI 53090; two sons and two daughters.

Frank J. Schroder ’51 of Alexandria, Va., diedFeb. 10, 2010. He was born Aug. 20, 1927. AtRipon, he majored in economics and was a mem-ber of Sigma Chi and Ver Adest. He worked as asales man for American Greetings Corp. for 35-1/2years. He retired in March 1990. Survivors includehis wife, Rose Ann, 1202 S. Washington St., Apt.116C, Alexandra, VA 22314; and two sons.

Rosemary Klement Best ’52 of North Egremont,Mass., died Jan. 25, 2009. She was born March 11,1930. She graduated from Ripon College with abachelor’s degree in psychology and music in1952. She was a member of Ver Adest and partici-pated in theatre. She earned a master’s degree insecondary education from the University ofWisconsin-Whitewater in 1985. She owned andoperated Rosemary’s Enterprises until retiring in2001. Rosemary was a member of Ripon’s Partnersin the Legacy. Survivors include three songs andthree daughters.

Thomas Paul Coynes ’53 of Rancho Palos Verdes,Calif., died Aug. 22, 2009. He was born July 19,1931. At Ripon, he studied psychology, was amember of Ver Adest and Lambda Delta Alpha, andwas commissioned as an officer in the ROTCprogram. He was a senior manager in humanresources for Boeing Co. until his retirement in1999. Survivors include his wife, Barbara GidlofCoynes ’53, 28611 Hazelridge Drive, Rancho PalosVerdes, CA 90275; and two sons.

Vernon W. Tank ’55 of Wheaton, Ill., died Oct.9, 2009. He was born May 14, 1933, in Green Bay,Wis. He studied history at Ripon and served in theArmy for three years. He received his master’s ofdivinity in 1963 from Fuller Theological Seminaryand served as a missionary in Taiwan until 1997.

SPRING 2010 29

Survivors include his wife, Marilyn, 1006 N. Presi-dent St., Wheaton, IL 60187; and three daughters.

Sally Hansche Keppler ’56 of Kenosha, Wis., diedJune 4, 2008. She was born March 13, 1934, inRacine. At Ripon, she was a member of AlphaGam Theta sorority. She had been married toDonald Keppler ’51, who died in 2003. Sally hadbeen employed by the Racine Unified SchoolDistrict as a paraprofessional for special educationprograms. She served as president for the RacineEducational Aides Association. She enjoyedplaying bridge, going to movies and live perfor-mances, traveling, the Green Bay Packers and theMilwaukee Brewers. Survivors include one sonand one daughter.

Kenneth C. Suhr ’57 of Cedarburg, Wis., diedSept. 14, 2009. At Ripon, he was a member ofLambda Delta Alpha. He retired in 1996 after 38years as a real estate supervisor with the WisconsinDepartment of Transportation, District 2. Sur-vivors include his wife, Joan, 4722 TimbercrestDrive, Cedarburg, WI 53012; and two daughters.

Hugh G. Daubek ’58 of Valparaiso, Ind., diedFeb. 26, 2010. He was born June 8, 1936. AtRipon, he earned a degree in mathematics andbusiness management, was a member of theLambda Delta Alpha fraternity and participated inathletics and ROTC. He earned advanced degreesin meteorology, master of business administrationand a doctorate in business administration-marketing, all from the University of Utah. Hetaught at Central Michigan University, LehighUniversity and the University of Utah beforegoing to Purdue University Calumet in 1989. Hetaught marketing and management for more than20 years on Purdue’s Hammond campus. Hisprofessional background also includes positions asa research scientist, consultant and co-author ofmarketing- and meteorological-related scholarlyarticles. Survivors include his wife, Ann, 107Wayne St., Valparaiso, IN 46383; one son and twodaughters.

Robert Ellis Langdon Jr. ’58 of Springfield, Mo.,died Feb. 8, 2010. He was born Sept. 29, 1936, inChicago, Ill. At Ripon, he studied economics, wasa member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity,and commissioned as an officer in the ROTCprogram. After college, he was commissioned fortwo years into the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant.He later was promoted to 1st Lieutenant; Bobserved in the infantry at both Fort Benning andFort Dix. He worked from 1960 to 1977 for Searsand Roebuck in Niles, Ill., where he was promotedto a management position. He and his wife ownedFish’N Fun Resort in Shell Knob, Mo., until heretired in 1999. They moved to Springfield whereBob volunteered as a disc jockey for KTOZ 100.1FM. He loved Big Band music and the ChicagoCubs. Survivors include his wife, Gail BrainardLangdon ’60, 1607 E. Richmond St., Springfield,MO 65804; three sons and three daughters,including Mary Landgon Rogers ’89.

Joseph L. Hosszu ’60 of Sachse, Texas, died Feb.16, 2010. He was born May 26, 1938. He earnedhis Eagle Scout at age 15. He worked in the steelmills, American Bridge and Ford to pay forcollege. At Ripon, he studied physics andmathematics and was a member of Phi Delta

Theta. He also attended the University ofMassachusetts for three years. He received a mas-ter’s degree in physics at the University ofTennessee while working at Union Carbide for sixyears at the Nuclear Facility of Oak Ridge, Tenn.He received his doctorate in physics from theUniversity of Delaware. At age 34, he entered theNavy as Lt. Junior Grade, retiring as Lt. Comman-der after 20 years. After retiring from the military,he worked for Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas as aradiation safety officer-medical physicist. He retiredafter 17 years Dec. 31, 2009. He liked antiquing andgoing to garage sales and auctions with his wife.Survivors include his wife, Linda, 6611 HilltopTrail, Sachse, TX 75048; and two daughters.

Lynne Scherbarth Penicnak ’60 of San Antonio,Texas, died Feb. 15, 2010. She was born Feb. 14,1939, in Milwaukee. At Ripon, she earned herdegree in mathematics and Spanish and was a mem-ber of Kappa Sigma Chi and Partners in the Legacy.She earned a master’s degree from the University ofMassachusetts in Amherst. Lynne was a dedicatedteacher who taught high school in Wisconsin,South Dakota, New York, and most recently at ParkRidge High School, where she taught for 32 yearsbefore she retired in 2000. Her passion was travel.Survivors include her husband, William J. Fay,11020 Hueber Oaks, Apt. 214, San Antonio, TX78230.

Walter W. Labhart ’64 of Skandia, Mich., diedNov. 10, 2009. He was born Nov. 27, 1942, inChicago. He earned a degree in economics fromRipon. He served in the U.S. Air Force in aircraftmaintenance at several Air Force bases around theworld, being honorably discharged with the rank ofCaptain. He then taught mathematics at NorthernMichigan University as an assistant professor. Heliked working with computers, cooking,photography and spending time in nature huntingand fishing. He was a member of the NRA and PhiKappa Phi. Survivors include his wife, Wanda, 823County Road 545 North, Skandia, MI 49885; twosons, Walter I. Labhart ’93 and Wayland Labhart’96; and one daughter, Wynne E. Labhart ’95.

Linn Janson Andrews ’65 of Anchorage, Alaska,died Dec. 17, 2009, after a 12-year battle withcancer. At Ripon, she majored in mathematics andwas a member of Alpha Xi Delta. She was a retiredagent with the Internal Revenue Service andenjoyed quilting. Survivors include her husband,Richard C. Andrews, 12621 Sanders Road, Anchor-age, AK 99516; one son and one daughter.

Keith E. Kottke ’65 of Oakfield, Wis., died March21, 2010. He was born March 22, 1943, in the townof Oakfield. He attended Ripon College for a yearbefore joining the U.S. Army. Keith served until1965. Following his service, he became employed atGreen Giant Canning Co., Rosendale, Wis., andcontinued with the canning industry for 43 yearsuntil his retirement. He was a member of St.Stephen’s Lutheran Church. He enjoyed watchingand playing baseball, mowing the lawn and valuingtime with his grandchildren. Survivors include hiswife, Carol, W9234 County Trunk TC, Oakfield, WI53065; and one son.

Bruce E. Engelking ’66 of Pinehurst, N.C., diedDec. 20, 2009. He graduated from Ripon with abachelor’s degree in economics. He was a member

of Delta Sigma Psi and was commissioned as anArmy officer through ROTC. He received a jurisdoctor in 1972 from Marquette University and wasa self-employed attorney. He lived in Cedarburg,Wis., for 28 years before moving to Pinehurstbecause of love of golf. Survivors include his wife,Patty, 25 Abington Drive, Pinehurst, NC 28374;one son and one daughter; and a brother andsister-in-law Roger and Marjorie Von SandeEngelking ’64 /’64.

Harley James “Jim” Mowrey ’67 of SouthWindsor, Conn., died March 19, 2010, after a sky-diving accident in Deland, Fla. He was born Sep.17, 1945. At Ripon, he majored in economics andhistory and was a member of Delta Upsilon andROTC. After college, Jim served in the U.S.Army for four years as a lieutenant. He had beenemployed by Federal Express and PioneerParachute Co. He retired as a sales manager fromScan Optics in Manchester, Conn., in 2009, whenhe moved to Deland, Fla. Jim was an ardentsportsman, a long-time member of the NRA, anactive parachutist and past president of four termsfor the Connecticut Parachutists Inc. Early in hiscareer, he was the first officer DC3 pilot for anIndiana-based charter airline. He flew more than1,900 commercial flight hours and more than1,000 hours ferrying skydivers. Jim personallymade more than 3,800 jumps and served 10 yearsas the New England States regional director onthe board of the U.S. Parachute Association.During his tenure as chairman of the U.S.P.A.safety and training committee, skydiving fatalitiesnationwide declined from more than 50 skydiversper year to 23 per year. Similarly, student fatalitiesalso saw a dramatic decline. Jim was also a memberof the Manchester Fireman’s and Policeman’sBagpipe Band, an enthusiastic runner and com-peted in the Manchester road race for many years.

Stephen C. Amesbury ’68 of Reno, Nev., diedDec. 1, 2009, in Reno. He was born May 26, 1945.At Ripon, he majored in economics and Germanand was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilonfraternity. He earned a master’s degree fromAmerican Graduate School of InternationalManagement in 1970, a degree from theUniversity of Nevada in 1977 and a juris doctorfrom Nevada School of Law in 1989. He was aself-employed attorney specializing in family law.

Noel J. Julian ’68 of Dayton, Wash., died June 10,2009. He was born Nov. 25, 1943. At Ripon, hewas a member of Theta Sigma Tau, played footballand earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Heearned a master’s degree in computer science fromthe University of Idaho in 1980. He retired in2000 as a system programmer for LMITCO.Survivors include his wife, Alma “Ginger” Julian,103 Zani Lane, Dayton, WA 99328; one son,Zachary Julian ’99; and one daughter.

Richard Cobb Grossman Jr. ’73 of Colleyville,Texas, died Jan. 18, 2010. He was born Aug. 24,1951, in Marshalltown, Iowa. At Ripon, hemajored in chemistry and was a member ofLambda Delta Alpha. He earned his master’sdegree at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.He attended medical school at the College ofOsteopathic Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines,followed by a residency in otorhinolaryngology

30 RIPON MAGAZINE

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The Last Wordthe last wordDefense for Opposing ViewsI do not remember Mr. Sneesby’s ’47letter in Ripon Magazine. It must havebeen awful, indeed, though, because themagazine felt it necessary to print nottwo, not three, but four strongly-wordedletters to the editor, attacking both hisopinions and his character, withoutoffering any balance. While attackingMr. Sneesby’s “narrow-mindedness,” theauthors used loaded words like “nasty,”“appalled,” “ultra-conservative” and“Witch Hunts.” While berating him forhis one-sidedness, the authors revealedtheir own very strong and orthodoxliberal views, even the author whoappeared to erroneously call himself alibertarian. I have yet to meet a libertar-ian that praised the social-welfare statesof Europe as a model for the rest of us.

Do not misunderstand me — I haveno problem with students journeying toWashington to see the inauguration. Itis an important cultural and politicalevent. And when I was deeply involvedin campus politics in my days at Ripon, Iboth encouraged and helped enablefellow students to attend similar events,even those students who did not sharemy views. But to attack somebody’sviewpoint in such a way, while main-taining that all viewpoints must beheard, is absurd and hypocritical. Howironic, that one of the four authors thatvoiced nearly identical viewpointsaccused Mr. Sneesby of not being ableto think for himself. I have always beenamused at people who bask in the gloryof their own open-mindedness whileshutting down and insulting anyonewho dares to voice an opposing view.Some of the writers appeared to be inawe of their own ability to reason anddisagree, while seeing somebody else’sdisagreement as narrow, nasty andappalling.

All of these people are entitled totheir opinions, and I have no quarrelwith their letters appearing in themagazine. It is entirely possible that themagazine received a dozen similar letterswith none supporting Mr. Sneesby.They were right to publish some ofthem, but to publish four of them wasoverkill. I believe that most readers,even those who agreed with the basic

thrust of these letters, found the lack ofbalance disturbing. I would encouragethe magazine to continue allowing itsreaders to voice their opinions. At thesame time, it is important for the edi-tors to be sensitive to the appearanceof piling on. I can only imagine thechagrin that Mr. Sneesby (presumablyin his 80s) and his family felt at hisalma mater’s official publication takingup two pages to attack his character.Dmitri Smirenski ’00Burlington, Ky.

I was so blown away by all the lettersabout the man who is going to supportHillsdale instead of Ripon that I had togo online to see what he had said andto look at the articles about the trip toWashington. The gist of the letters isthat the man is intolerant because hechooses not to support an institutionwhich he sees as incompatible with hisown views.

Perhaps he would not have objectedto a few paragraphs about faculty andstudents going to the inauguration asall inaugurations are historic. Werethere articles of similar length andimport when Bush was inaugurated?Perhaps he felt that the article focusedtoo much on the color of thePresident’s skin and not enough on thescope of his ideas. Perhaps he felt thatwords such as “pilgrimage” were a bitover the top.

In any case, I did not see that thewriters were any more open-minded intheir comments as they characterizedthe man as “narrow-minded andright-wing.” The man is certainly enti-tled to support whichever institutionshe wishes with his own money. In fact,he would be foolish to financially sup-port any group which he believespromotes ideas to which he is opposed.

Would the assorted commenterswho accuse him of being narrow-minded continue to support Ripon if itwere perceived by them to be a “con-servative institute?” I think not.Patricia Andrews Gander ’67Charleston, S.C.

Interesting that allfour indignantalumni chantedpraises for diversitywhile excoriatingsomeone whose views they did not like.

To please these and otherSavonarolas, who are always asmasochistic as they are fanatical, hereare some additional vies guaranteed torender them apoplectic.

Ripon today is not what it was 50years ago. Today, it is a consistory forself-applause. Fifty years ago, it was theperfect city-state. Today, the prevailingidea is that everything is equivalent toeverything else. Fifty years ago, theprevailing idea was the principles areprinciples, standards are standards, andthat some principles and some standardsare superior.

The transformation of the old Riponinto the present hothouse of pap is oneof the most depressing experiences inmy life. I speak with passion becausewhen I was there, nobody wanted tograduate. We were that happy! Can thecurrent student body say the same?Basil P. Coukis ’57Nashua, N.H.

Editor’s Note: Ripon Magazine prints atleast a portion of all Letters to the Editorreceived, unless an unwieldy number ofletters is received on the same topic. In thatcase, a selection of letters offering differentviewpoints will be published, and it will benoted that this was a selection only. Lettersmay be edited for length and clarity.

Changes Neededat Ripon CollegeAs a graduate of Ripon College, I amwriting you about the outrageous articleby David Joyce, president, in the Fall2009 issue of Ripon Magazine. The arti-cle confirms Mr. Joyce’s abiding biases:one which is against the fundamentalliberal arts academic goals of RiponCollege and one which is in favor of hispolicy of converting Ripon College intoa business school, heavy on athletics.

Contrary to Joyce’s claims, there is

SPRING 2010 31

Opinions expressed in the Ripon Magazine are those of the author or personinterviewed. We’d like to hear what you think about college news and views.

Letters must be signed and include an address and telephone number.They may be edited for length and clarity.

Send your letters to the Editor, Ripon Magazine, Office of Marketing andCommunications, Ripon College, PO Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971.

You also can contact us via e-mail at aldersonj@ripon.edu

What Do You Think?

NO “uneasy truce” between academicsand athletics in the culture and historyof Ripon; that “truce” is only in Mr.Joyce’s mind. He is attempting tocreate a debate or conflict when nonehas existed in the long history of theCollege. Ripon always has been anindependent liberal arts college whichrightly places the academic life at thetop of all priorities; long ago, Riponand its sister liberal arts colleges chosenot to emphasize athletics or view it asanything more than one of manyextracurricular activities to beparticipated in by those students whochoose to do so. Athletics should haveno more emphasis than the choir orthe art club.

Joyce expresses his “feeling” that“… athletic pursuits are no less nobleor valuable than academic pursuits.”That statement flies in the face of theliberal arts principles of Ripon Collegeand the clear benefits of thoseprinciples to many thousands of Ripongraduates. Joyce’s “businesscourses/jock” position is a minorityview which, in the long history of theCollege, has been rejected repeatedly.Joyce suggests that humans areconstructed to “compete and triumph,”which “supersedes our simple desire tolearn.”

By this, Joyce insinuates that theprincipal path to the benefits ofcompetition is through athletics.Nonsense. Academic competition,often intense, always has been aliveand well at Ripon College and at everycollege where academic achievement isthe raison d’tre of the liberal arts insti-tution, which seeks to train scholars —and carefully avoid distracting coursesor activities which one too frequentlyfinds at junior colleges, business and/ortrade schools and some misguided largeuniversities.

Academic accomplishment is based

upon and is sparked by the individualstudent’s desire to learn; it needs noencouragement from an improperemphasis on athletic programs any morethan academics accomplishment isencouraged by foolish courses in theleague of “underwater basket weaving.”In this connection, the curriculum of theCollege always has been adverselyaffected by the misplaced views andpriorities of Joyce. Now, academicdepartments, offices and course offeringsat Ripon include “Director of BusinessAdministration,” “Exercise ScienceDepartment,” “Pre-Engineering,” “Pre-Law,” “Health Professions Advising,”“Director of Leadership Studies” andother nonsensical functions entirely aliento classic liberal arts college principles.

To those of us who love and knowRipon College well, it is painful towatch the College slipping in manyareas of endeavor throughout Joyce’stenure as President. Surely, Ripon isoverdue for a change.Ray G. Besing ’57Santa Fe, N.M.

Brrrrrrrrr!Not having lived in the North for thepast 30-plus years, the cover of theAnnual Report 2008-2009 brought backchilly yet somehow warm memories ofwalking the snow-covered campus andlistening to the crunch of every step.

I was instantly transported to the hillbehind The President’s House. Withfriends Jeff, Carrie, Joe, Gail, Rick, Cliff,Margie and others, we tobogganed downthe hill shouting and yelling the entireway. And then we would trudge back upjust to do it again. Thanks for bringingback those memories.Marcus Disbrow ’71Cumming, Ga.

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and facial plastic surgery. He practiced in the Mid-Cities since 1983. He and his wife traveled toplaces such as the polar bear habitat of Churchill,Manitoba, and the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Hewas an instrument-rated pilot who had the recentjoy of flying a World War II-era P-51 Mustang.Survivors include his wife, Lisa, 5607 VersaillesCourt, Colleyville, TX 76034; and one daughter.

Harry A. Beck ’77 of Osceola, Wis., died Feb. 21,2010. At Ripon, he was an athlete, a member ofPhi Beta Kappa and studied biology. He graduatedfrom the Indiana University School of Optometryin 1981. He served Osceola for 25 years as thecommunity eye doctor, 20 of them in private prac-tice. He saw more than 8,000 patients. He servedhis country for more than 28 years as a NavyReservist where he ministered to people’s healthneeds in many corners of the world, becoming aCaptain of the Navy. He was a field optometrist inTogo, Ghana, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago,Honduras, and twice in northern Alaska. In 2005,he volunteered for nearly a year as a Fleet HospitalOptometrist at two Army camps in Kuwait, wherehe saw more than 1,800 patients. He was a skilledhandyman, car aficionado and mechanic, modelcar constructor, electrician, home designer andbuilder, cook, Minnesota Twins purist, computerexpert, audiophile, tuba musician, rock ‘n’ rollappreciator and self-taught wood-worker. He was amember of Trinity Lutheran Church. Survivorsinclude his wife, Nancy, 2833 50th Ave., Osceola,WI 54020; and three sons.

Glen S. Renner ’77 of Wauwatosa, Wis., died Dec.28, 2009. He graduated from Wauwatosa East HighSchool in 1972 and participated in athletics atRipon. He worked for more than 20 years in ticketsales with the Milwaukee Brewers. His father wasthe late August “Pete” Renner ’43.

Erik “Eric” Raymond Fosterling ’79 of GreenBay, Wis., died Oct. 6, 2009. He was born April17, 1957, in Livonia, Mich. At Ripon, he was amember of Sigma Chi, participated in athleticsand majored in criminal justice.

James S. “Jay” Armstrong ’84 of De Pere, Wis.,died Feb. 17, 2010. He was born May 8, 1962, inHinsdale, Ill. He spent his senior year with Riponat Bonn University in Germany. He was a memberof Phi Delta Theta. He worked in sales and at hisdeath was a sales engineer for Optima Corp. ofGermany. He loved the sport and camaraderie ofrugby, was a member of the Green Bay Celtics andwas instrumental in starting rugby clubs in areahigh schools. He was also passionate about golf,skiing, ice fishing and riding his scooter. Survivorsinclude his wife, Debbie, 1967 Stone Silo Circle,De Pere, WI, 54115; one son and one daughter.

Norbert Rupp, who taught German and classics atRipon College during the late 1960s, died Nov.24, 2009, in Vienna, Austria.

OBITUARIESContinued from page 30

The Annual FundThree Ways to Give:

Write to us at PO Box 248, Ripon, WI 54971Call us toll-free at 1-877-231-0455 Visit us online at www.ripon.edu/gift

High-handed greetingHead Coach Bob Gillespie and Nic Schaalma ’12 greet each other during a basketball game. Ripon’s court in Wyman Gymnasium at Storzer Center has beennamed “Bob Gillespie Court” in honor of Gillespie, the winningest coach in Riponmen’s basketball history. The Ripon men’s basketball team went 15-9 during the2009-10 season, the team’s most victories since the 2004-05 season. This year’steam also went 10-6 in the Midwest Conference, placing them in a tie for third.